Peru skipper Paolo Guerrero banned for one year after failing drugs test
Friday 8 December 2017 12:38, UK
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero will miss the World Cup after failing a doping test and picking up a one-year suspension.
The 33-year-old striker, who plays for Flamengo in Brazil, tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, a banned stimulant, following a match against Argentina in Buenos Aires on October 5.
Cocaine is categorised as a stimulant and is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of performance-enhancing substances.
The ban, which took effect on November 3, prevents Guerrero from playing in all domestic and international matches and means the player will miss next year's World Cup in Russia.
He can appeal to FIFA, and later at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Guerrero was Peru's joint top scorer with five goals in qualifying as the team surged late in the South American group.
Peru qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1982 by beating New Zealand in a two-legged playoff. Guerrero missed both of those matches.
They were drawn in Group C along with France, Australia and Denmark.
