Paolo Guerrero of Flamengo reacts during the match between Flamengo and San Lorenzo. Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images
On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport delivered a blow to Peru’s National Team and its fans. The body extended Paolo Guerrero’s six-month FIFA ban – set to expire this month just ahead of the World Cup (the first one the South American country has qualified for since 1982) – until January 2019. Meaning La Blanquiroja will have to face countries like France, Denmark, Australia, and Germany without its star player. In October, Guerrero tested positive for benzoylecgonine – the main metabolite of cocaine. While some were quick to judge him, Paolo has maintained that the positive test result came after drinking coca tea. FIFA, accepting his reasoning, reduced the initial ban from a year to six months. However, the CAS, which believes he “did not attempt to enhance his performance by ingesting the prohibited substance,” has added additional time because of “Mr. Guerrero’s degree of fault.“
RELATED: Peruvian Twitter Is Devastated That Paolo Guerrero Won’t Play in the World Cup
“However, the Panel considered that the Player did bear some fault or negligence, even if it was not significant, and that he could have taken some measures to prevent him from committing the (doping violations),” the court said.
In Peru and other parts of the Andes, mate de coca is a way of life. The tea, made from coca leaves, is a centuries-old tradition. In light of the court’s recent decision, people have criticized the decision as a lack of understanding of Peruvian culture and drawn attention to the fact that some Russian athletes were able to compete in the Olympics despite the doping scandal. The drink is not illegal in Peru and though it’s made of coca leaves, is not as intense as cocaine. On top of it being an alternative to coffee, it is also sometimes used to treat altitude sickness, the Los Angeles Times reports. But with CAS failing to acknowledge these things, people are just left with anger that Guerrero won’t play because he imbibed tea. Check out a few responses below:
Paolo Guerrero's 14-month ''drugs ban' upheld despite CAS accepting the 'traces of cocaine' came from a legitimate home-brewed tea commonly drunk in Peru. Wonder how many of CAS' board members understand or care about Peruvian culture. An absolute disgrace pic.twitter.com/4UuUhw2ypm
— Andrew Cesare (@AndrewCesare) May 15, 2018
The biggest injustice I’ve ever seen coming from FIFA. The heart and soul of Peru, the reason we’re even going to the World Cup, our captain Paolo Guerrero is missing the World Cup for drinking tea. I’m at a lost for words and am truly heartbroken.
— jay 🇵🇪 (@jvysrevenge) May 14, 2018
So Paolo Guerrero isn’t going to be able to play in the World Cup, for drinking coca tea, this is absurd. 🤯😤😔 #justiceparaguerrero
— Raffi Izquierdo (@rji_12) May 14, 2018
Creo que todo el Perú apoya al Capitan Paolo Guerrero, de la arbitraria y abusiva sanción de la FIFA por una tasita de mate de coca que para nadie es droga.
— Daniel (@danistar61) May 15, 2018
Lo de Paolo #Guerrero es injusto. Se comprobó que no tomó droga social, no quiso sacar ventaja deportiva, fue por la ingesta de un mate de coca y lo dejan sin Mundial. Algo hay que revisar.
— BUTI 🎤 Periodista Deportivo (@JuanButvilofsky) May 15, 2018
Robinson Cano banned 80 baseball games, about 3 months, for drug use, can return mid-season. Paolo Guerrero gets 14 months for accidental tea drinking, misses World Cup. Discuss.
— Graham Dunbar (@gdunbarap) May 15, 2018
Paolo Guerrero will miss the biggest competition of his career for drinking coca tea, despite the official report saying it was not to enhance performance.
Will you also ban Russian players, @FIFAcom? Or does it not suit your financial interests?
— Daryl (@Daryl_0408) May 14, 2018
