Australia captain Mile Jedinak has joined with his opposing team leaders at the World Cup in the hope of allowing Peru's banned skipper to play in Russia.
In an extraordinary show of sportsmanship, Jedinak, Hugo Lloris of France and Denmark's Simon Kjaer have penned a letter of support for Paulo Guerrero to take his place at next month's tournament.
Guerrero, 34, has been suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after testing positive for cocaine from a drug test.
Both FIFA and CAS have agreed that Guerrero did not mean to take the banned substance and it did not enhance his performance.
On this basis, the three captains of the nations Peru will face in the World Cup's Group C next month have appealed to help Guerrero beat the ban with an 11th hour appeal.
"Peru is returning to football's ultimate stage after a 36-year absence and we believe Paolo Guerrero should be allowed to lead his nation and celebrate what will be a career highlight," an open letter from the trio published through FIFPro, the world players' union, read.
"We respectfully ask that the FIFA Council to show compassion ... and kindly put forward an urgent case for clemency by asking the FIFA Council to temporarily interrupt the ban."
Professional Footballers Australia chief John Didulica is also a signatory to the request.
There's little precedent to suggest the hail mary approach will be successful but Guerrero has a meeting with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino on Tuesday to push his own case.
Guerrero's teammates are hoping that heaven will smile on their top striker.
"May God decide what happens," defender Luis Advincula said.
"If there's a chance of hope, we're all going to cling to it.
"May God let his meeting with the president of FIFA be positive so he may play in the 2018 Russia World Cup, which is what all Peru wants."
Guerrero was originally suspended for a year after a routine doping test in October 2017 detected a cocaine metabolite.
FIFA subsequently reduced the penalty to six months and the player returned to action with his Brazilian club Flamengo in May.
Guerrero appeared before the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier this month to argue that the suspension was unjustified, maintaining that the cocaine entered his system in a pot of tea.
The World Anti-Doping Agency asked CAS to increase the length of Guerrero's suspension to two years.
Last Monday, CAS extended Guerrero's suspension to 14 months, keeping him off the field until January 2019.
Peru are attending their first World Cup since 1982 and will play the Socceroos in their third - and likely decisive - group match in Sochi on June 26.
Australian Associated Press
