RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - A sports tribunal overturned its verdict and acquitted Romario of doping, allowing the veteran striker to return to competition, the Vasco da Gama soccer club said Thursday.

The Superior Tribunal of Sports Justice accepted Romario's contention that he did not take a performance-enhancing drug for Vasco's league game against Palmeiras last Oct. 28, press spokesman Roberto Garofalo said.

Romario, 42, tested positive for the banned substance Finasteride and was suspended for 120 days in December. Romario said he had used the hair-loss medicine Propecia, which contains Finasteride.

"He said he didn't know about the substance and that it didn't have the effect of doping. It doesn't make you faster, it doesn't improve your performance, it's neutral," Garofalo said.

Romario, a World Cup champion and FIFA Player of the Year in 1994, had said he could retire next month if the four-month suspension was not lifted. He recently quit as Vasco's coach, claiming that club officials had interfered in his decisions about the team's lineup.

Although he has lost his sprinter's speed, Romario is still a scoring threat and a major attraction for fans. Last year, he scored his 1,000th goal by his count - a mark reached only by Pele.

His contract with Vasco expires at the end of March, and it's not clear whether he will continue playing.

Garofalo said Romario will still not play Sunday against Flamengo in the semifinal of the Guanabara Cup.

"He doesn't have the slightest condition. He hasn't played for two weeks and there's no way he'll be ready," Garofalo said. "He didn't even go by the club today. After the court ruling, he went home."