Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa, known as Gabigol, was suspended for two years due to attempted fraud during a drug test last yeara Brazilian sports court reported this Monday.
“The aforementioned athlete was tried today (Monday) by the Plenary of the Anti-Doping Sports Court of Justice and, by majority, it was decided that an attempted violation of the anti-doping rule of fraud had occurred”the court said in a statement sent to AFP.
The sanction, which can be appealed in Court of Arbitration for Sportsbegan running on April 8, when the events occurred, he added.
Five of the magistrates voted in favor of the sentence and four to acquit him, according to a note from Flamengo, who was surprised by the decision against one of his biggest stars.
“We will assist the player in presenting the appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sportsconsidering that there was no type of fraud, not even an attempt, that justifies the punishment applied,” he stated.
The footballer was denounced in December for allegedly having hindered the completion of a surprise drug test that took place at the club’s training headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
As he had done in a note released in December by his advisor, Gabigol, 27 years old and one of the biggest idols of ‘Fla’, denied the accusations.
“I reiterate that I never tried to obstruct or defraud any exam“said the footballer in a note published on his social networks.
“I trust that I will be declared innocent at the highest court”he added.
At the time of the accusation, the most popular team in Brazil was preparing for the second leg final of the Rio state tournament (Campeonato Carioca) which it lost to its backyard rival, Fluminense (4-1).
According to the complaint, cited by local media, the attacker failed to comply with the testing schedule, disrespected the officers and disobeyed their instructions.
His colleagues had the check-up at ten in the morning, while he ignored the call and attended after lunch, according to the accusation.
When he finally arrived at the testing site, he reportedly became upset because an officer escorted him to the bathroom. Furthermore, he did not respect the sample collection protocol.
Great figure in the 2019 Brasileirao and Copa Libertadores titles, the first won by the rojinegros since 1981, Gabigol denies having “tried to cheat on the exam.”
Emerging from Santos de Sao Paulo, the club that Pelé made world famous, ‘Gabigol’ had disappointing spells at Benfica in Portugal and Inter Milan.
After his failed time in Europe and a return to ‘Peixe’, he signed with Flamengo at the beginning of 2019, a year in which the rojinegros marked history under the technical direction of the Portuguese Jorge Jesus.
His good performances led him to the Brazil national team, with which he scored five goals in 18 games, although he has not played an international game since 2022, prior to the World Cup in Qatar.
His continuity in ‘Fla’ has been in question due to problems in renewing his contract, which expires in December. Furthermore, he has lost ground since the arrival of former Brazilian coach Tite to the bench in October.
This year he has scored two goals and has only started two of the eight games he has played for Carioca.
The ‘Mengão’ will play on Saturday the first leg final of the Rio de Janeiro tournament against Nova Iguaçu. In April, he will debut in the Libertadores and the Brasileirao.
Source: Ambito
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