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The statues of Peru's national team coach Argentine Ricardo Gareca (L) and stricker Paolo Guerrero, erected at the Argentine square in Lima to honour the team's participation in the FIFA World Cup and which will be officially unveiled on July 13. Image Credit: AFP

Lima: Peru football team captain Paolo Guerrero and coach Ricardo Gareca, who helped the South American team qualify for the Fifa World Cup after a 36-year absence, had a pair of statues unveiled in their honour in Lima.

The gold-coloured, life-sized statues of the two men were commissioned by the district of San Miguel, whose mayor, Eduardo Bless, inaugurated them on Friday at the Argentina Park amid a debate about the cost and merit of the pieces, reported Efe.

Their cost, some 20,000 soles ($6,000), raised suspicions about the use of public funds and spurred an amusing discussion on social media.