Paolo Guerrero has seen more ups and downs in the last 10 months than Donald Trump.
At least one of those two now knows his fate — at least for now.
Paolo Guerrero had the freeze on his 14-month doping ban rescinded, once again banning the Peru captain from playing soccer. The Swiss Federal Tribunal in Zurich ended the “provisional suspensive effect” — a temporary ruling in May that finally cleared Guerrero to play at the World Cup this summer in Russia after months of back and forth in the courts.
Guerrero scored for Peru against Australia at the World Cup, though La Blanquirroja had already been eliminated after two matches. But for a lengthy, drawn-out process that even included mummies, he might have been banned from the tournament.
Guerrero tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine after a World Cup qualifier in October. He was initially banned for a year, only to have the ban reduced to six months on appeal in December, which would have allowed him time to return to for the World Cup.
But Guerrero wanted to overturn the ban completely, taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where the World Anti-Doping Agency was fighting for a longer suspension. The CAS increased the ban to 14 months, but two weeks later a Swiss judge said it would be cruel to deny Guerrero the chance to play in Peru’s first World Cup in 36 years, placing a freeze on the suspension to allow him to play in Russia.
That freeze is now over, meaning Guerrero currently cannot play for his Brazilian club Internacional.
Of course, most Peruvians won’t mind too much. Guerrero got to play in the World Cup, scored a goal and the fans generally had a great time. Some would probably argue Guerrero should’ve played more; he might have scored a penalty kick Peru missed in a loss to Denmark.
Alas, this episode of Paolo Guerrero's life is not actually over just yet. While the 14-month ban is back in effect, there is still the chance for the Swiss court to make a new decision to once again change the suspension.
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