Gabriel Barbosa has been suspended for two years following an investigation into doping fraud believed to have been perpetrated by the footballer.
An investigation was conducted by the Anti-Doping Sports Court of Justice and the result was nearly even.
It ended with the judges voting 5-4 against the former Benfica man, and his suspension is coming due to his behavior during a surprise drug test on April 8, 2023.
The test occurred a day before Flamengo played in the Rio de Janeiro state championship.
Anti-doping officers were present to test players at the training ground but they were apparently ignored by Barbosa.
Gabriel Barbosa, who currently plays for Brazilian giants Flamengo took his test hours after his teammates did theirs.
The 27-year-old joined Flamengo on a permanent deal on January 31, 2020, for a fee of €17.5 million.
Barbosa can appeal his two-year suspension, despite playing for Flamengo during this timeframe.
The sentence on the striker is expected to be on until April 2025, having been backdated from 2023.
Gabriel Barbosa has played for several notable clubs in his career, including; Benfica, Inter Milan, and Santos.
The Brazil international failed to live up to the lofty expectations heaped on him in Italy and was considered a flop, after his move from Santos to Inter on August 31, 2016, for a fee of €29.5 million.
He made 10 appearances for Inter Milan, scoring 1 goal and providing no assist in all competitions.
During his stint in Milan, he experienced loan spells at Benfica and boyhood club Santos, before he also went to Flamengo initially on loan on January 11, 2019, for a fee of €700,000.
Barbosa quaking in Flamengo
Since his move to Flamengo, Gabriel Barbosa has been monstrous, scoring 143 goals and providing 38 assists in 261 appearances.
His impressive display in Brazil also earned him a place in the Brazil national team squad in 2021 – having featured for the side just once since 2016.
Barbosa amassed 12 appearances for Brazil in 2021, scoring 3 goals, and was part of the squad that lost the final of the Copa America.
Gabriel Barbosa made only one appearance for the Selecao in 2022 and he has not been handed a call-up since then.
The São Paulo-born man was also excluded from Brazil’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Barbosa’s career has been plunged into a dark cloud and an unsuccessful appeal against the suspension could put his career in turmoil, given his contract with Flamengo expires on December 31, 2024.
Gabriel Barbosa has made 440 club appearances so far in his career, scoring 210 goals and providing 51 assists across all competitions.
Internationally, the forward has netted 5 goals and provided no assist in 18 appearances for Brazil.
