Guerrero’s World Cup lifeline as he avoids doping ban

GENEVA: African pair Senegal and Morocco drew blanks as the two

World Cup-bound teams were held to 0-0 draws on Thursday, while Peru captain Paolo Guerrero was cleared to play at the finals after winning a lastminute reprieve from his doping ban.

Senegal’s preparations began with a limp stalemate away to Luxembourg, although talisman Sadio Mane sat out the game, having only joined the squad this week.

It was the third successive draw for the Lions of Teranga since they qualified for the tournament and they now head to Austria to train.

They face Croatia and South Korea before heading to Russia where they play Colombia, Poland and Japan in the group stage.

Morocco were held goalless by Ukraine in Geneva as they prepare to start their campaign against Iran before facing Spain and Portugal in their World Cup group.

Peru were probably the happiest of the 32 finalists after veteran Guerrero was cleared to take part in the finals in the latest twist in a long-running saga which has kept the Andean nation on tenterhooks.

Guerrero completed a six-month ban imposed by Fifa in May but days later the suspension was increased to 14 months by the Court of Arbitration for a Sport.

However, the Swiss Federal Tribunal agreed to temporarily lift the doping suspension while it considers his appeal against the ban, freeing him to play in the finals.

Guerrero tested positive for a cocaine byproduct following the World Cup qualifier away to Argentina in October.

He has said benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, was found in his system because of a herbal infusion he drank that was contaminated with coca leaf, an ingredient in cocaine widely used as a non-narcotic traditional remedy.

CAS recognised Guerrero ingested the substance unintentionally and was not attempting to gain an advantage. – Reuters