Gabigol is suspended for two years for anti-doping fraud – 03/25/2024 – Sports

Striker Gabriel Barbosa, Gabigol, 27, from Flamengo, was suspended from football until April 2025 after a trial held this Monday (25) by the Anti-Doping Sports Court (TJD/AD).

The athlete was found guilty of fraud in an anti-doping test. The court understood that he tried to prevent the ABCD (Brazilian Doping Control Authority) from carrying out a surprise test at the club’s training center on April 8 last year. He also allegedly delayed the collection of blood and urine by the doping control authority.

The attacker’s defense can still appeal to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport). In a statement, Flamengo stated that it will assist its athlete in presenting the appeal, “since it understands that there was no type of fraud, not even an attempt, to justify the punishment applied.”

Gabigol was charged based on article 122 of the Brazilian Anti-Doping Code —”fraud or attempted fraud of any part of the doping control process by an athlete or other person”—, which provides for a maximum penalty of four years of suspension.

Five judges voted to convict the athlete, and four voted to acquit him. Gabigol must appeal to the CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) in an attempt to reverse the sentence.

The player received a two-year suspension, but in practice, unless he manages to reverse the decision, he will only serve one. The court understood that there was a delay in the process that could not be attributed to Gabriel and indicated that compliance began on April 8, 2023, when the collection was carried out at the Flamengo CT, even though the suspension did not actually begin on last year. The attacker is therefore suspended until April 8, 2025.

Barbosa has a contract until December 2024 with Flamengo, where he has been since 2019. With the red and black team, he won the Copa Libertadores (2019 and 2022), the Campeonato Brasileiro (2019 and 2020), the Copa do Brasil (2022) and the Campeonato Carioca (2019, 2020 and 2021).

Flamengo note

“The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, taking note of the result of the trial of its athlete Gabriel Barbosa, in the sense of applying a 2-year suspension sentence, until April 2025, by 5 votes for conviction and 4 for acquittal, comes public say that he received the aforementioned decision with surprise and that he will assist the athlete in presenting an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as he understands that there was no type of fraud, not even an attempt, to justify the punishment applied.”