Lausanne (Switzerland) May 3 (IANS) Peru national football team captain Paolo Guerrero arrived on Thursday at the Court of Arbitration for Sport to attend a hearing to prove that FIFA s suspension was unfounded.
Guerrero is also due to be present in another hearing about an appeal concerning the World Anti-Doping Agency s request to extend his suspension to two years reports Efe.
"The fears we don t confront become our limits " Guerrero posted on his Facebook page before the hearing.
"Throughout my life perseverance showed me to overcome hard obstacles. I m keeping my head high looking forward to going back to where I m happy " he added.
The striker who plays for the Brazilian squad Flamengo was accompanied by his attorney Pedro Fida to the CAS where fans gathered to support Guerrero.
The 34-year-old initially received a one-year ban from FIFA soccer s world governing body last November after testing positive for "cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine " a banned stimulant.
That would have made him ineligible for the World Cup but a month later FIFA s appeal committee reduced the suspension to six months after reviewing "all circumstances" of his case.
While the six-month suspension expired last week Guerrero s World Cup hopes are threatened by the motion filed by WADA demanding a two-year long extension.
The banned substance was detected in a test conducted on October 5 in Buenos Aires after Peru played a World Cup qualifying game against Argentina.
Guerrero contends he unwittingly ingested the substance in a cup of tea made from coca leaves.
The hearings are expected to last for several hours.
--IANS
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