Today's announced lineup of the Peruvian national team includes Paolo Guerrero, who had to miss the championship before hearing positive news from the sports arbitration court.
The striker was penalized with a 12-month disqualification in December of last year for the illegal substances found in his blood, but later FIFA decided to reduce his punishment to 6 months so he could play in the world championship. However, the International Anti-Doping Agency appealed to the sports arbitration court after half a year of disqualification and increased his disqualification to 14 months, thus once again removing him from future world championships.
However, the Swiss tribunal rejected the request and restrictions to compete, stating that it is "an unjust desire to punish the athlete for the same offense for the second time" and P. Guerrero will be able to play in the World Cup in Russia.
Nevertheless, such news was not joyful for all members of the Peruvian team: the team had already announced their 23 players traveling to the championship without P. Guerrero, so one of them was forced to leave the team against his will. That player was 22-year-old "Granada" defender Sergio Pena, who admitted that it was one of the most painful moments of his career.
"Today I have to experience one of the hardest moments in my career and I feel that I did not do enough to participate in the most important tournament in the world and represent my country there. I want to thank the whole team and my team mates for how they treated me from the very first moment when I was invited to this national team. They deserve the best and I will always support them with all my heart, as I feel part of this family," wrote S. Pena on his Instagram account.
In the World Cup, Peru will compete in Group C with the national teams of France, Denmark, and Australia.
