A provisional doping ban handed to Peru striker Paolo Guerrero has been extended for another 20 days, the Peruvian football federation said.
The announcement came as FIFA’s disciplinary committee sought more time to decide whether to impose a heftier penalty on the 33-year-old, according to Peruvian federation president Edwin Oviedo, reports Xinhua news agency.
“We have learned from FIFA that there has been an extension of 20 days for an evaluation by the disciplinary commission,” Oviedo told reporters on Tuesday.
Guerrero, who plays his club football for Brazil’s Flamengo, tested positive to an unspecified stimulant after Peru’s 2018 World Cup qualifier against Argentina in Buenos Aires on October 5.
He was given a one-month provisional ban on November 4, forcing him out of Peru’s World Cup qualifying playoff games against New Zealand.
Guerrero’s legal team presented its defence to the disciplinary committee in Zurich last week and the player later said that FIFA had ruled out drug use.