FOOTBALL - BRAZIL
THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) UPHOLDS THE APPEAL BY GABRIEL BARBOSA
Lausanne, 04 July 2025 - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld an appeal by Gabriel Barbosa Almeida (commonly known as Gabigol) against the União Federal do Brasil (União) and the Autoridade Brasileira de Controle de Dopagem (ABCD) concerning a potential breach of anti-doping rules. The 24-month suspension imposed on Mr Barbosa is set aside.
Mr Barbosa took part in an out-of-competition anti-doping test conducted by the ABCD on various members of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo on 8 April 2023. The samples provided by Mr Barbosa in April 2023 were analyzed and returned negative results for prohibited substances.
On 30 May 2023, Mr Barbosa was notified of a potential anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) for having tampered with the doping control process and trying “to hinder the entire control process”. Mr Barbosa denied the charge which was referred to the Brazilian Anti-Doping Tribunal (BADT). The BADT issued a decision on 25 March 2024 to apply a 24-month suspension for attempted tampering, suspending Mr Barbosa until 7 April 2025.
Mr Barbosa filed an appeal with CAS on 2 April 2024, alongside a Request for Provisional Measures to stay the BADT decision. The Provisional Measures were granted by CAS on 30 April 2024, and the suspension was paused whilst CAS proceedings were ongoing. The appeal sought to fully set aside the BADT decision and for CAS to decide no tampering or attempting to tamper was committed.
An in-person hearing was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 3 and 4 April 2025. The Panel assessed the actions attributed to Mr Barbosa on 8 April 2023 which consisted of failure to report to the doping control station upon notification, the lack of escort and a disrespectful attitude towards the Doping Control Officers (DCOs).
The Panel determined that whilst Mr Barbosa’s behaviour was completely uncooperative, it cannot be considered as “tampering” under the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC) and does not reach the threshold of an ADRV. The Panel emphasized that such behavior could have constituted an ADRV, had the DCOs notified Mr Barbosa properly, or adopted a more robust approach by advising him they would not tolerate any delays in going to the doping control station, or any kind of obstructive behavior.
In light of these considerations, the CAS Panel found no sanction has to be imposed on Mr Barbosa. The appeal by Mr Barbosa is upheld, and the decision by the BADT is set aside.This document is an unofficial summary for media use. Unless Parties request confidentiality, a full CAS award will be published on the CAS jurisprudence website.
For further information related to the CAS activity and procedures in general, please contact either Matthieu Reeb, CAS Director General,
or Vanessa Tracey, Communications Officer. Palais de Beaulieu, av. Bergières 10, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland.
