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In recent weeks, there has been talk not only of Sergio Peña's good performances with Malmö and his call-up for friendly matches against South Korea and Japan, but also of what happened on April 18th. The Peruvian national team midfielder was stopped by the Swedish police after testing positive in a breathalyzer test and driving without a valid license. This led the Swedish prosecutor to request a prison sentence for the player. In the midst of all this, it was confirmed on Wednesday that he has been sentenced to community service (50 hours).
"I am not the least bit surprised. A district court unanimously chose not to follow the prosecutor's line, and to be completely honest, I still struggle to understand how the prosecutor could request prison time in this case," said Abraham Zeito, Peña's lawyer, in an interview with Sportbladet.
Sergio Peña received the news while he was with the Peruvian national team, preparing for the friendly matches against South Korea and Japan, which will take place on the 16th and 20th of this month, respectively. These matches are part of the team's preparation for the start of the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
"This is very reassuring news for Sergio, who is with the Peruvian national team. He is relieved and happy that the court did not sentence him to prison. He has children, and it means a lot to him and his family, who have been very worried. I would be very surprised if the prosecutor appeals," added the player's legal representative.
When will Peru's matches be held?
The Peruvian national team has been training in Seoul since Sunday, June 11th. When the delegation is complete with the foreign-based players, Juan Reynoso will start working on the team's tactics and strategies for these friendly matches in Asia. So far, the 'Cabezón' has coached six games with the national team, and these will be two interesting tests in preparation for the Qualifiers.
The match against South Korea is scheduled for Friday, June 16th at 6:00 a.m. (8:00 p.m. local time) and will be held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan. On the other hand, the match against Japan is scheduled for Tuesday, June 20th at 4:55 a.m. (6:55 p.m. local time) and will take place at the Panasonic Stadium Suita in Osaka.
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¿Cuándo serán los partidos de Perú?
La Selección Peruana viene entrenando en Seúl desde el domingo 11 de junio y, cuando se complete la delegación con los jugadores que militan en el extranjero, Juan Reynoso empezará a trabajar el esquema y variantes que planteará para estos compromisos amistosos en el continente asiático. Hasta la fecha el ‘Cabezón’ ha dirigido seis partidos con la ‘Bicolor’ y estas serán dos pruebas interesantes pensando en las Eliminatorias.
El encuentro frente a Corea del Sur está programado para el viernes 16 de junio desde las 6:00 a.m. (a las 8:00 p.m. en horario coreano) y se disputará en el Busan Asiad Main Stadium (Busan). Por su parte, el partido contra Japón está pactado para el martes 20 de junio desde las 4:55 a.m. (a las 6:55 p.m. en horario japonés) y tendrá lugar en el Panasonic Stadium Suita (Osaka).
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