World Cup winner handed two-year ban from football | OneFootball

Papu Gómez has been handed a two-year ban from football for allegedly taking a banned substance.

The 35-year-old tested positive for a prohibited substance in November 2022, days before the start of the World Cup which he went on to win with Argentina.

Gómez, who was with Sevilla at the time, started the group stage clash with Saudi Arabia and last-16 win over Australia out in Qatar.

The Argentine later won the Europa League with Sevilla in June before leaving the club in the summer and joining Serie A side Monza in September.

His current club have now confirmed that FIFA informed them that he will be suspended from all football activities for two years.

“The presence of Terbutaline was found in the footballer’s biological samples,” read Monza’s statement.

“It is a drug taken to calm a bronchospasm crisis, in October 2022, when the footballer was registered for Sevilla FC.

“Positivity is the result of an involuntary assumption.

“AC Monza reserves the right to evaluate the next procedural steps.”

Gómez is expected to contest the charge.