World Cup champion and Monza forward, Alejandro “Papu” Gomez, stated on Sunday that he had ordered his lawyers to check into the circumstances surrounding his doping suspension and argued that the prohibited substance came from his son’s cough medicine.
In connection with a doping case involving his time at the Spanish club Sevilla, Gomez was given a two-year suspension on Friday. In October of last year, just before joining the Argentina team that went on to win the World Cup, he tested positive.
The 35-year-old player’s career may be ended by the suspension, and Gomez made her first public statement on the subject on Sunday with a lengthy Instagram post.
He said, “Not only have I always rigorously respected all the rules, but I have also stood up as a strong defender of clean sport and sportsmanship, condemning categorically any forms of doping. I have never intended to, and I will never, resort to a banned practice,” Gomez wrote.
“The alleged offense originates from the presence of Terbutaline in my system, after I accidentally ingested it in a spoonful of my little son’s cough syrup. I have asked my lawyers to look into the matter as I believe the disciplinary case was not treated according to the rules.”
Gomez’s contract with the team was terminated on September 1st, and he was sitting on the bench as Sevilla won the Europa League final the previous campaign. He signed with Monza as a free agent at the end of the previous month and has since featured in two Serie A games without scoring.
Atalanta’s former captain, Gomez, led the Bergamo team to several successful seasons until parting out with manager Gian Piero Gasperini and departing for Sevilla in January 2021.
Gomez is the second Serie A player this season who has been charged with doping. Paul Pogba, a midfielder for Juventus, had a positive testosterone test.