OFFICIAL: FIFA gives Papu Gomez a two-year ban for doping

BeSoccer 1 year ago 31.3k |

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Papu Gomez returned to Serie A this summer. EFE

Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez, current Monza player, former Sevilla player and World Cup winner with Argentina in Qatar 2022, has been banned for two years for doping, according to the Italian club. Journalist Gaston Edul assured, before the official announcement, that the attacker would retire if the sanction was confirmed.

Huge blow for Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez, currently playing for Serie A club Monza. FIFA has suspended him from playing football for a period of two years due to a doping case. This happened in November 2022, shortly before the World Cup and when he was still playing for Sevilla.

According to 'Relevo', the footballer took a syrup from one of his sons the night before a session at the Sevilla training ground to treat bronchospasm. He did not check whether the product was part of the list of items that elite players are not allowed to take. The medicine contained terbutaline. This happened just a few days before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, which he won with Argentina.

This possibility began to be rumoured hours before it became official. Argentine journalist Gaston Edul reported that, if the sanction was confirmed, Papu would have decided to hang up his boots at the age of 35.

The World Cup winner returned to Serie A this summer, where he arrived after playing in Argentina with Arsenal Sarandi and San Lorenzo. After three seasons at Catania, he moved to Ukrainian club Metalist Kharkiv, where he spent one season. In 2014-15, he signed for Atalanta, where he spent 7 seasons before leaving for Sevilla due to a bad relationship with coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

Papu has only had time to make two official appearances for Monza. He made his debut against Sassuolo in a 1-0 home win, coming on in the 76th minute, while he played 25 minutes plus added time in a 3-0 home win over Salernitana.

This is the full Monza statement:

"AC Monza announces that it has received today - 20 October 2023 - from FIFA, through the FIGC, the notification of the first instance ruling of the Spanish Anti-Doping Commission against the footballer Alejandro Dario Gomez.

The sentence provides for a two-year suspension from the practice of sport. The presence of terbutaline was found in the footballer's biological samples. It is a drug that was taken to calm a bronchospasm crisis, in October 2022, when the footballer was registered with Sevilla FC.

The positive result is due to an unintentional assumption. AC Monza reserve the right to evaluate the next procedural steps".