GUERRERO RULING’S ANOTHER OWN GOAL

PAOLO GUERRERO, captain of Peru, scored twice against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, before heading to the World Cup. He will play due to the temporary lifting of a drugs ban. Guerrero tested positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, which he claimed was caused by drinking coca tea. The Court of Arbitration for Sport meted out a 14-month ban on appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency, concluding that while Guerrero (right) did not intend to enhance performance, he was responsible for the failed test. Last month a Swiss federal judge overturned that decision, briefly. So while Guerrero is technically still banned, and will continue to be so after the World Cup, the punishment has been temporarily lifted to allow him to play in the tournament. Judge Cristina Kiss ruled the World Cup ‘would without doubt be the crowning glory of his career’. Indeed, at 34, this is likely to be his only chance. Meaning, to the long list of mitigations to avoid bans and ignore positive tests we can add: if it’s a big tournament, and you’d really like to play in it. And then we wonder why athletes weigh up the risk-reward and continue blithely to cheat.