Monza forward Papu Gomez was given a two-year doping ban caused by his child’s cough syrup, but the reasoning behind the accusation of ‘gross negligence’ has been leaked to Spanish media.
The whole matter has been shrouded in confusion from the start, including the strange fact this failed doping test was in 2022 before going to the World Cup with Argentina, when he was still playing for Sevilla.
Yet the ban was only imposed days after he joined Serie A side Monza as a free agent in October 2023.
Gomez has always maintained the positive test was caused by some cough syrup that had been given to his child.
Now Spanish site Relevo claim that the defence is a little more specific, blaming his wife Linda Raff for giving him a spoonful of the cough syrup containing banned substance terbutaline.
It is claimed the letter to the Spanish Anti-Doping Commission explained Gomez returned home from training with a bad cough, so late at night his wife administered a small spoonful of the same syrup they had given to their child.
It had been prescribed nine months earlier, though, so was not a recent matter.
Gomez had hoped to rely on article 10.5 of the World Anti-Doping regulations, which allow for ‘contamination of the athlete’s food or drink caused by a partner.’
However, the sanctioning committee insisted this was not food or drink, but a medication that was administered.
“Far from showing the absence of guilt, this defence reveals an evident lack of the normal and required precautions for a top-level professional athlete,” so the two-year ban was imposed for “gross negligence.”