The 25-year-old tested positive for banned steroid stanozolol when playing for Croatian club side Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League against Arsenal on September 16, 2015.

UEFA, European football's governing body, banned the midfielder for four years in November of the same year and the organisation's appeals process backed up that decision in May 2016.

Ademi took his case to CAS in June 2016 and claimed he failed the drugs test due to a supplement which was contaminated.

He said he was prescribed this following an injury and asked for his ban to be quashed.

A three-man CAS panel found that Ademi should be cleared of any intent to cheat but refused to lift his sanction entirely.

"The panel found that in the special circumstances of this case, while the player discharged his burden of proving lack of intent, it could not uphold the player's argument that the challenged decision should be annulled," a CAS statement said.

"Instead, as the panel found that a reduction in the period of ineligibility was appropriate, the appeal was partially upheld."

Ademi, who has also represented Croatian clubs NK Lokomotiva and Šibenik, will be eligible to play again on October 7 of this year as his ban has been backdated. 

He has been capped by Macedonia after formerly representing Croatia at international level, the country of his birth.

Zagreb won the match against English Premier League side Arsenal 2-1, at their home Maksimir Stadium.  

The result was allowed to stand as there are no rules to disqualify teams from the Champions League unless two or more squad members fail tests.