Soccer: Peru's Guerrero, WADA appeal to CAS over doping ban

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday that Peru captain Paolo Guerrero and the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) have filed apppeals over the player's six-month doping ban.

Guerrero had been suspended for a year by world soccer's governing body FIFA on Dec. 8 after testing positive for cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine after Peru’s 0-0 draw away to Argentina in October.

FIFA then reduced the ban to six months.

Guerrero, who has claimed the positive test was due to contamination, is seeking to remove the sanction completely while WADA is demanding a stiffer sentence of up to two years for the doping violation.

Should WADA win the appeal the player could miss out on the World Cup in Russia in June.

CAS said a hearing would take place next month.

Peru, who have qualified for their first World Cup in 36 years, have been drawn in a group with France, Denmark and Australia.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Peter Rutherford)