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SAO PAULO — Brazilian striker Gabriel Barbosa has been suspended for two years following a doping fraud investigation. The country's Anti-Doping Sports Court of Justice voted 5-4 to punish Barbosa. He brought attention to himself by his erratic behavior during a surprise test on April 8, 2023, one day before Flamengo played the Rio de Janeiro state championship. Anti-doping officers who came to test players at the club training ground were largely ignored by Barbosa, who took his test hours after his teammates. Barbosa's lawyers argued his blood test at the time, which is considered a more effective test, proved he was clean. The lawyers added his unfriendly behavior toward the officers did not mean he tricked the test. He can appeal the decision to ban him to April 2025.
