Papu Gomez Ban: Former Atalanta captain and fan-favourite has doping appeal rejected in court

Former Atalanta captain and fan-favourite Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez has had his appeal against a doping ban rejected in court. The decision was announced earlier today by his current club Monza’s coach Raffaele Palladino.

Papu Gomez Ban: Why was the Argentine banned?

Papu Gomez was tested and detected for a banned substance called terbutaline during his time at Sevilla back in 2022. The detection occurred in one of the routine checks carried out by UEFA and Italian football authorities.

As per the Argentine, the substance entered his system via his child’s cough syrup, which his wife gave him to treat a sore throat after a training session. Despite his failed doping test at Sevilla, Papu Gomez was selected in Argentina’s squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which they ultimately won.

Gomez was handed a two-year ban from all footballing activities back in October 2023, a few days after he became a Monza player. Now, his coach at Monza, Palladino, has revealed the news in a press conference.

“The appeal was rejected, from what I know. The team (Monza) will announce it.”

Gomez’s career records and achievements

The versatile forward began his senior playing career with Arsenal de Sarandi back in 2005, before a one-year spell at San Lorenzo. He was then spotted by Italian side Catania, where he played between 2010-13.

He then spent a year at Metalist Kharkiv, before a career-defining move to Serie A side Atalanta in 2014. Gomez spent seven glorious years with the Italian giants and is best known for his time with them. He then played for Sevilla between 2021-23, before joining Monza as mentioned earlier.

Gomez has made 637 senior club appearances, scoring 115 goals and providing 114 goals for his clubs. During his time with Atalanta, he made 252 appearances, scoring 59 goals and providing 72 assists. He has also made 17 appearances for Argentina, scoring three goals and providing four assists. Gomez won the FIFA World Cup with his country in 2022.

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