Key week for Paolo Guerrero: hearing in TAS

The resources on the suspension of Paolo Guerrero, who requests absolution, and of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which asks for the extension of his suspension to two years, after the player tested positive for benzoylecgonine consumption, will be seen this Thursday, May 3rd, in a joint session in Lausanne (Switzerland).

The defense of the Peruvian footballer, who plays for the Brazilian Flamengo, is carried out by Spanish lawyer Juan de Dios Crespo, who a year ago managed to lift the four-game sanction imposed on Argentine player Leo Messi, by demonstrating that there was no serious offense in some words spoken by the footballer.

Crespo did not give details on how he will develop the defense in Paolo Guerrero's case, although he did indicate that he expects a long session in which his objective will be the total lifting of the sanction.

"If there is no unfavorable decision, the player will be able to play immediately and has been training with his club for the last two months, as allowed by the regulations," said the Valencian lawyer, specialist in international sports justice.

Paolo Guerrero was sanctioned for one year on November 3, 2017, after testing positive for benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine, after the match between Argentina and Peru for the World Cup qualifying played on October 5th.

The Appeals Commission reduced the sanction to six months after the player argued that the substance came from a tea with traces of coca leaf and after demonstrating that it was not due to cocaine consumption, due to the very low amount found.

Not satisfied with the six-month sanction, Paolo Guerrero appealed to TAS to have any sanction lifted, while the World Anti-Doping Agency has requested in return that a sanction of between one and two years be imposed. His participation in the World Cup in Russia, which starts in June, depends on the result of this Thursday's hearing.

Source: EFE

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