ICELAND TO RELY ON HAND OF COD
Peru skipper Guerrero’s journey to Russia could be the strangest ever..
FOR Peru skipper Paolo Guerrero, the road to Russia was full of twists and turns – some that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster.
It involved allegations of cocaine abuse, the bodies of three dead Inca children, a tense legal battle, and the solidarity of three rival captains in Group C.
Today, Guerrero, 34, will lead out his country in Saransk following their 36-year absence from the finals, experienced a truly journey to get there.
But it was only the late interventions of his colleagues in the group – Denmark’s Simon Kjaer, Australia’s Mile Jedinak and France’s Hugo Lloris – that helped Guerrero win the day.
The story began late last year when the Flamengo striker tested positive for cocaine, receiving a year-long ban shortly before Peru’s play-off victory over New Zealand.
Guerrero, a national hero, contested the suspension, claiming he had drunk nothing more than tea that had been having fantastic contaminated by coca leaves, an infusion popular in the South American country.
That fight led a prominent US scientist to take samples from the perfectly-preserved bodies of the Inca, recently discovered 6,000 feet up in the Peruvian mountains, to prove it was possible for the offending chemical to be present without taking cocaine, a substance only invented 400 years after the children died.
The ban was overturned – and then reinstated upon the wishes of the World Anti-doping Authority. A tense legal stand-off followed – with FIFA eventually
PERU:
Galesse, Advincula, Rodriguez, Ramos, Trauco, Tapia, Yoton, Flores, Cueva, Farfan, Guerrero
DENMARK:
Schmeichel, Larsen, Christensen, Kjaer, Dalsgaard, Kvist, Delaney, Eriksen, Sisto, Jorgensen, Poulsen
Bakary Gassamer (Gam)
REFEREE:
temporarily suspending the ban to allow Guerrero to take his spot, after the three skippers penned an open letter demanding his inclusion.
Ahead of today’s opener against Denmark, boss Ricardo Gareca (left) said: “We would like to thank everyone for their support – the captains, in particular.
“We appreciated the support from them for Paolo and for our whole team.” HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON says Iceland have the backing of fans all over the planet ahead of their World Cup debut today against Argentina. Iceland dumped England out of Euro 2016 at the last-16 stage with a 2-1 win that prompted Roy Hodgson to resign.
Two years on and Iceland, who finished top of their group in qualifying, face Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Moscow, with Hallgrimsson (below) convinced they are the nation fans can’t help but love. “We have support from all over the world,” he said. “People like the fact that such a sparsely-populated nation is at the World Cup.
“You can’t help but love Iceland. We haven’t attacked anyone, we haven’t been to war with anyone. We only had the Cod Wars, but nobody got hurt there! It’s a pretty little nation, with pretty people, so you can’t help but love us.” Messi can play at the next World Cup in Qatar, according to Argentina boss Jorge Sampaoli. This year’s tournament was expected to be the last shot at World Cup glory for Barcelona superstar Messi, who is nearly 31 and will be 35 at the time of the next tournament in 2022.
But Sampaoli said: “I think his skills, and the professional way he trains and plays, means he will be the one who decides.
“He is a genius, and he plays like a genius, so I don’t think it’s going to be his last World Cup.”