Flamengo announced on Tuesday morning (30) that their star striker, Gabriel “Gabigol” Barbosa, is free to return to play for the club.

The attacker’s defense successfully obtained a unanimous decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to suspend his two-year punishment for an alleged attempt to defraud an anti-doping test.

The club shared the news on their social media platforms, stating, “Athlete Gabriel Barbosa is free to participate in competitions held by the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo. “The attacker’s defense achieved the suspensive effect with a unanimous decision.”

CAS Statement on the Suspension

The Court of Arbitration for Sport released an official statement regarding the matter:

“We inform you that the Board of Arbitrators responsible for the matter, CAS 2024/A/10473 Gabriel Barbosa Almeida v. União & ABCD, issued an order granting the request to suspend the execution of the punishment imposed on Gabriel Barbosa Almeida.”Consequently, the Brazilian Anti-Doping Court suspends the 24 (twenty-four) month suspension on Gabriel Barbosa Almeida until the conclusion of the CAS arbitration.

Background of the Case

The TJD-AD (Anti-Doping Court of Sports Justice) initially suspended Gabigol for two years on March 25th after finding him guilty of attempting to defraud an anti-doping test. The trial resulted in five votes in favor of the punishment and four votes against it.

The case began in December 2023, when the TJD-AD reported the athlete. The TJD-AD set the penalty to retroactively apply from April 2023, the time of the alleged exam cheating attempt, until April 2025. Gabigol faced a ban from training with Flamengo and using the facilities at Ninho do Urubu during this period.

What Did Gabigol Allegedly Do in the Doping Test?

On April 8, 2023, at Ninho do Urubu, Gabigol allegedly made it difficult for officers to conduct the anti-doping test. Reports suggest that the player took an excessive amount of time to complete the process and did not follow the officers’ instructions.

While other Flamengo players took the exam before training at 10 a.m., Gabigol allegedly ignored the agents and went to lunch without following the indicated procedure. Subsequently, he reportedly took the collection vessel without notifying any of the officers, and became irritated when an officer accompanied him to the bathroom. Furthermore, he allegedly handed the collector open, contrary to instructions.

Versions Could Be Decisive in Gabigol’s Release

Since early April, Gabigol’s defense has been attempting to secure his release via suspensive means. They believe that two key versions could be decisive in reversing the suspension.

The attacker’s defense contends that internal images from Flamengo’s CT on the exam day support potential contradictions in the agent testimonies from the TJD-AD trial. On the other hand, ABCD (Brazilian Doping Control Authority) maintains that Gabigol failed to comply with crucial procedures, preventing them from guaranteeing the integrity of the sample.

Flamengo internally recognizes that Gabigol’s behavior may have irritated professionals, but they question the terms of the complaint, particularly regarding timelines and potential contradictions in the statements.

Gabigol’s defense expedited the request for a suspensive effect on CAS, as they believed it was the only way for the attacker to return to playing while still under his current contract with Flamengo, which ends in December.

The Information is Taken from France24 and Barrons