World Cup: Could Argentina Have Been Stripped of Their Title?

Argentine player Papu Gómez is facing a potential two-year suspension for a positive doping test dating back to November 2022. However, he participated in the World Cup with Argentina…

France becoming the world champion on a technicality? Don’t get your hopes up; that’s not going to happen. Papu Gómez was found to have violated doping regulations before the World Cup, and FIFA was aware of it but did not prevent the player from participating in the tournament.

However, FIFA’s rules are clear: the presence of a player who has violated anti-doping rules should not result in any repercussions or disqualification of the Argentine national team or the club in which he plays, in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code.

According to the Code, at least two team members should have been directly implicated for there to be an impact on the team’s or club’s title. Therefore, Argentina should not be stripped of its World Cup title, and Sevilla FC should not be affected despite Papu Gómez being part of the team. However, Papu Gómez risks losing his own titles due to his suspension.