Brazil Striker Gabriel Barbosa Banned For Two Years For Anti-Doping Fraud

The 27-year-old Flamengo forward is accused of frustrating the process of being tested for doping prior to a game in April last year.

Barbosa denies the accusations and says he will appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Barbosa's ban has been backdated to April last year when the incident occured, meaning he will be available to play again in just over a year's time.

"The aforementioned athlete was judged today by the Anti-Doping Sports Court of Justice (TJD-AD) and, by a majority vote, it was decided that a violation of the anti-doping rule of attempted fraud had occurred," the Brazilian Doping Control Authority said.

Reacting to the ban in a post on X, Barbosa said: "I have never attempted to obstruct or defraud any test, and I trust that I will be cleared by the higher court."

"Since the beginning of my career as a footballer, I have always followed the rules of the game and never used banned substances. I have been subjected to dozens of tests, all of which have always been negative.

"I am disappointed with the outcome of the judgement, but I will continue cooperating with the sporting authorities and trust that my innocence will be proven and re-established by the higher court."

The former Inter Milan striker has been capped 18 times by the Brazil national team, scoring five goals.

He was part of the Brazil team that won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympic games.