Sao Paulo’s Cueva faces fine for late return from Peru duty

Rio de Janeiro, Nov 20 (IANS) Peru international midfielder Christian Cueva could be fined by his football club Sao Paulo for failing to report back on time after the country qualified for its first World Cup in 36 years.

Cueva returned to Brazil on Friday evening, two days after Peru completed a 2-0 aggregate victory over New Zealand in their intercontinental playoff in Lima, reports Xinhua news agency.

The 25-year-old reportedly did not inform Sao Paulo officials of his whereabouts and missed at least one compulsory training session.

He was introduced as a second-half substitute in the club's Brazilian league fixture against Botafogo on Sunday and had little impact in a 0-0 draw.

"What happened was that he was involved in one of the most important victories in the history of Peruvian football," Sao Paulo president Carlos Silva told reporters.

"Even the President (Pedro Pablo Kuczynski) declared a national holiday on Thursday. Christian came back and made himself available for the team. He arrived after training on Friday. Whether or not he will be fined, we haven't decided yet."

Cueva provided an assist for Jefferson Farfan on Wednesday, the first of Peru's two goals at Estadio Nacional. The teams drew 0-0 in the first leg in Wellington on November 11.

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