Soccer

Peru captain Guerrero free to play at World Cup after ban cut

Flamengo player has doping ban halved by Fifa after appeal

Peru captain Paolo Guerrero has had his doping ban reduced from one year to six months, freeing the player up to take part in the World cup. Photograph: Andres Stapff/Reuters
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero has had his doping ban reduced from one year to six months, freeing the player up to take part in the World cup. Photograph: Andres Stapff/Reuters
Wed Dec 20 2017 - 21:13

Peru captain Paolo Guerrero will be able to play at the World Cup after Fifa's appeal committee cut his ban for failing a doping test from one year to six months on Wednesday.

Guerrero, 33, who plays for Flamengo in Brazil, had been suspended by the world governing body on December 8th after testing positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine after Peru’s 0-0 draw away to Argentina in a World Cup qualifier in October.

The ban, backdated to start on November 3rd, will now finish in May, just over one month before the start of the tournament in Russia.

“The Fifa Appeal Committee after taking into account all the circumstances of the case, in particular the degree of fault of the player, considered a six-month period of ineligibility to be a proportionate sanction,” said Fifa.