BERN: Peru’s World Cup captain Paolo Guerrero has had his dope-test ban reinstated by the Swiss federal court writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

A provisional suspension of a 14-month ban was lifted just before the finals in Russia but a federal tribunal has ruled he must serve the remaining eight months of his sanction, ruling him out of competitive action until April 2019.

The 34-year-old was banned from playing for one year by FIFA having tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, after Peru’s World Cup qualifier against Argentina in October 2017.

His suspension was cut in half last December on appeal to world football’s governing body but the World Anti-Doping Agency successfully argued to the Court of Arbitration for Sport that the revised ban was insufficient and a 14-month period of ineligibility was imposed in May.

The ban was suspended by the Swiss court, pending the outcome of an appeal. However, the new ruling means he is now prohibited from playing again until next year.

On August 8, Guerrero signed a three-year contract at Internacionalof Porto Alegre after his deal with Flamengo expired.

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