Guerrero doping ban restored by Swiss court

Peru captain Paolo Guerrero has had a doping ban reinstated by Switzerland's supreme court, ending a temporary freeze that allowed him to play in the World Cup.

FIFA said the Swiss Federal Tribunal lifted "the provisional suspensive effect", pending a final verdict on Guerrero's appeal against a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that extended his six-month ban by FIFA to 14 months.

"FIFA took note of the decision of the Swiss Federal Tribunal to lift the provisional suspensive effect that had been granted with respect to the sanction imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport," world football's governing body said in a statement on Thursday.

Peru coach Ricardo Gareca bemoaned the decision, which prohibits Guerrero from playing for his country and his Brazilian club Internacional.

"We are very sad for him," Gareca told Movistar Deportes. "Paolo's professionalism is irrefutable. It's something that should have been properly resolved a long time ago. These contretemps don't make any sense."

Guerrero, Peru's all-time leading scorer with 35 goals in 89 matches, tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine while representing the Blanquirroja in a World Cup qualifier against Argentina last October. The 34-year-old says he unwittingly consumed the substance in contaminated tea.

The striker was given a 12-month ban last December but the penalty, backdated to November, was halved less than two weeks later by FIFA's appeal committee.

However the Court of Arbitration for Sport extended the penalty by eight months on May 14 after a challenge by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The Swiss Federal Tribunal subsequently froze the ban, ruling that Guerrero "did not act intentionally or with any significant negligence."

The court said its decision also took into account the likelihood that the World Cup, which was held in Russia from June 14 to July 15, would be his only chance to play in football's biggest tournament.

Guerrero scored one goal in Peru's first World Cup appearance since 1982 as Peru were eliminated in the group stage.