Nikko Ponce puts on the former Peruvian football captain’s cleats in The Fight for Justice Paolo Guerrero, Netflix’s latest sports biography series released on October 5, 2022. In 2018, all eyes were on Peru’s forward player, who’s also regarded as the highest scorer on the team, as the country’s hope of participating in the tournament was revived after 36 years.
Football followers are known to be the most passionate and driven fanbases on the globe and this sports biography sets that image right while also raising major questions for a system that fails its hardworking sportspersons. Directed by Javier Fuentes-León and Daniel Vega Vidal, the six-episode series voices the hardships faced by Paolo Guerrero after having tested positive for cocaine right before the much-awaited World Cup.
Netflix’s official synopsis reads:
PERUVIAN FOOTBALL PLAYER PAOLO GUERRERO WAGES A DIFFICULT LEGAL BATTLE AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR COCAINE MONTHS BEFORE THE WORLD CUP.
-The Fight for Justice Paolo Guerrero Ending Explained Contains Spoilers-
The Fight for Justice Paolo Guerrero Ending Explained
There was a lot riding on Guerrero’s back in 2018 after he scored the qualifying goal that went down in Peru’s history. However, a major setback, a result of bad luck, drags his name through the mud. He puts everything on the line to clear both his and his family’s honor while preserving a national dream of his making.
Repeated blows only seem to switch gears for the worse for him at the time, which leads us to the major question we all wanted to be answered just like the Peruvian community did back then – Would his name be included in the World Cup 2018? And the answer to that is yes.
Also Read: The Fight for Justice Paolo Guerrero Review: Biography Leads With a Focus on Human Emotion and Faith
Titled Patience and Faith, the final episode puts him through a severe test. His initial appeal had granted him a 6-month suspension, but his conscience couldn’t accept any of it. Taking his case to the superiors yet again, he fails severely as the suspension period is extended to a total of 14 months. Following this devastating blow, he loses all hope to play for his country. Yet somehow pulling himself together and holding onto the prayers of his loyal fans and family, he puts himself through a tormenting experience by appealing his case yet again.
This time he wants to be surrounded by only those people who know him the best and vice versa. As a result, he asks Julio to lead his case instead. His new lawyer yet an old supporter presents the idea that they convince the Peru Football Federation’s President Oviedo to tag along with them, officially demonstrating Peru’s support for its valued player.
After a long-running tug of war between Oviedo and the former Federation employee Julio, the former agrees to the cause. However, Guerrero’s coach disagrees with signing an official statement about him being an “irreplaceable” entity for the team, putting him in a tough spot, but promises to hold his spot for the final lineup till the last moment possible.
While awaiting the court’s final judgment regarding his suspension, which also impacts his position for the World Cup, Geurrero’s team comes across the news about Peru’s rival countries in the same group of the World Cup signing a joint agreement that he can’t be replaced despite him being the greatest threat to them. This compassionate sportsmanship moves the player to tears and acts as the necessary boost he’d been looking for in his case all along.
His return back to the pavilion is an emotional affair and he expresses his heartfelt gratitude to both his manager and lawyer, who’ve been through it all by his side from the very beginning. Julio and Oviedo’s squabble is also finally put to rest as the former is cheered on for all his efforts to clear Guerrero’s name.
Everyone anticipates the day of the match, while Guerrero also funds the tickets for some of his fans as a gesture of acknowledgment of their loyalty through it all. It’s a grand celebration of the sport as nearly 40,000 Peruvians make it to Russia to witness the country’s first World Cup in 36 years. Their unconditional love goes down in history. As far as Paolo Guerrero himself is concerned, he scored a goal and also stepped forward for an assist in the only two goals scored by the team.
Although they didn’t move forward to the next phase, the team garnered a lot of respect and praise from its fans who’d been waiting to see their country play the beloved sport again.
If you’re still wondering about the matter of his innocence in the case, it was ruled that only minimal traces of ‘coca’ were found in his urine sample, and not cocaine. After much consideration, it was clarified that his cup of tea was prepared in the same container as a traditional Peruvian coca tea, which led to all the trouble. He had never intentionally ingested any substance that would enhance his performance but the authorities deemed him responsible for his “negligence”, leading to his subsequent suspension.
The Fight for Justice Paolo Guerrero is now streaming on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts on the series in the comments section below.
Also Read: Love Is Blind Season 3 Cast Announcement: Meet the New Pod Squad
So now FIFA expects its athletes to be pharmacologists too? They are supposed to know biochemical details about the tests and which foods and drinks can cause a false positive? Pleasssee. Shame on you FIFA! If an athlete does not use a substance that enhances athletic performance then leave them alone! Nobody says anything about athletes going on alcohol binges.
One other thing, the article above says this “If you’re still wondering about the matter of his innocence in the case, it was ruled that only minimal traces of cocaine were found in his urine sample.” That statement is WRONG! The test detected a chemical called benzoylecgonine which is a substance the human liver creates (metabolizes) from cocaine. However, it can also come from other sources. It can come from the coca based tea as described in the netflix series but can also come from drinking water. Therefore, no “cocaine” was found in Paolo Guerrero’s sample. What was done to him by FIFA was totally unfair and unforgivable!