Gabriel Barbosa (27) has been charged with attempted cheating in a doping test. The Brazilian was initially banned for two years, but CAS has now lifted this ban for the time being
At the end of March 2024, Brazil’s anti-doping court announced that Gabriel Barbosa would be banned for two years for attempting to cheat on a doping test. This ban was to come into force retroactively on April 8, 2023. But what actually happened?
On 8 April last year, the Sao Bernardo do Campo-born attacker allegedly interfered with an unannounced doping test at the headquarters of his club Flamengo in Rio. According to local media reports, Gabriel Barbosa ignored officials at the time and did not follow their instructions.
By a vote of 5:4, the judges found him guilty of delaying his test “through recalcitrant behavior”. Gabriel Barbosa himself had protested his innocence
It didn’t go well at Inter and Benfica
Now the striker can chalk up a partial success, as his two-year ban has been lifted for the time being. “The 24-month ban imposed has been suspended until the CAS arbitration proceedings have been concluded,” it said in a statement on Tuesday. This means that the Flamengo Rio de Janeiro attacker can be used again until the proceedings are concluded.
An up-and-coming talent, the attacker won the 2016 Olympics with Brazil. He then moved to Inter Milan for just under 30 million euros. However, things didn’t really go so well for Gabriel Bardosa in Italy and he only made nine Serie A appearances (one goal). He then moved on to Benfica Lisbon, but the striker did not find his luck in Portugal either. Between the end of August 2017 and January 2018, he only made three competitive appearances for Benfica.
After a brief interlude at FC Santos, Gabriel Bardosa ended up at Flamengo in 2019, where he is currently under contract and has been cleared to play again
