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Peru's Guerrero to miss World Cup after drugs ban
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 [December 08, 2017]
(Reuters) - Peru's hopes at next
year's World Cup finals were dealt a huge blow when captain and
all-time record goalscorer Paolo Guerrero was banned for one year on
Friday after failing an anti-doping test for cocaine.
The 33-year-old striker, who plays for Flamengo in Brazil, had been
provisionally suspended by world governing body FIFA after the drug,
classified as a stimulant, was found in his system after Peru's 0-0
draw away to Argentina in a World Cup qualifier in October.
"The player tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine,
a substance included in WADA's 2017 Prohibited List under the class
'S6. Stimulants', following a doping control test conducted after
the match," FIFA said in a statement.
"By testing positive for a prohibited substance, the player has
violated article 6 of the FIFA Anti-Doping Regulations and, as such,
contravened article 63 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code."
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 those matches.
His ban will be back-dated to Nov. 3 and will apply to
international, domestic and official friendly fixtures.
Guerrero, who used to play for German club Bayern Munich, made his
international debut in 2004 and has 83 caps, scoring 32 goals.
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Captain of Peruvian national soccer team Paolo Guerrero poses for a
selfie with fans after a hearing at the FIFA Disciplinary Committee
in front of FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland November 30,
2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
He helped Peru finish third in the 2011 and 2015 Copa Americas and
was leading scorer in both tournaments.
He also helped Brazilian club Corinthians win FIFA's World Club Cup
in 2012, scoring the winning goal in the final against Premier
League side Chelsea.
He joined Flamengo in 2015 and has been prolific in front of goal,
scoring 42 goals for the Rio de Janeiro club.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman,; editing by Ed Osmond)
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