Brazilian footballer Gabriel Barbosa, known as Gabigol, will be able to play again with Flamengo after the suspension by the Court of Arbitration for Sport of the sanction taken against him in a doping case, we learned on Tuesday from the CAS.
The striker, suspended for two years at the end of March by the Brazilian Anti-Doping Sports Court for obstructing a test, took the matter to the CAS and the international body based in Switzerland decided to authorize him to play while waiting for the end of the procedure.
Aged 27, Gabigol, flagship player of “Fla”, is accused of having obstructed the carrying out of a surprise anti-doping test organized at the club's training center in Rio de Janeiro.
While his teammates were checked at 10 a.m., he showed up after lunch, according to the prosecution. When he arrived he was offended that a police officer had to escort him to the toilet. Finally, he had not respected the sample collection protocol.
A great architect of the Brazilian championship and Copa Libertadores titles in 2019 and 2022 – the first won by the red and black since 1981 – Gabigol denied having “tried to cheat”.