Lloris: Why I helped lift Peru captain’s drug ban

HUGO LLORIS was proud to help Paolo Guerrero fulfil a dream at this World Cup despite knowing the Peru captain might return to spoil the occasion of his 100th appearance for France. Lloris (right), together with Simon Kjaer of Denmark and Mile Jedinak of Australia, wrote an open letter to FIFA pleading for clemency on behalf of Guerrero when a doping ban was extended on the eve of the tournament. ‘Being able to play in a World Cup is a very special moment in a player’s career and this is the case for Paolo Guerrero,’ said the France and Tottenham keeper. ‘It was an act of solidarity towards another player who was punished but who didn’t try to cheat with doping to boost his own performances. ‘The decision was taken by higher authorities and I don’t want to go into details, but it was the will of the other captains, a simple act. We only wanted to show our solidarity.’ Guerrero had already served a sixmonth ban after testing positive for a by-product of cocaine, only to find his ban extended to 14 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency Court. The 34-year-old appealed against the extension and ,after the intervention by the three rival captains in Group C, was cleared to play in Russia by CAS while they consider the appeal. Guerrero started on the bench in the defeat against Denmark, but made a positive impact when he came on. Peru’s record scorer with 34 goals is expected to lead them out against France in Ekaterinburg, his 90th cap. After France saw off Australia in their opening game, boss Didier Deschamps is expected to make changes, bringing in Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud to face a team that is fighting to stay alive in the competition. ‘Peru deserved better against Denmark,’ said Lloris. ‘It will be aggressive and intense.’