I Don’t Owe Ghanaians Any Apologies, I Didn’t Miss That Penalty – Suarez
As the two nations prepare to reconnect on Friday, Uruguay forward Luis Suarez says he won’t apologize for the intentional handball that sent Ghana home from the 2010 World Cup.
Suarez’s purposeful touch on Dominic Adiyah’s shot on the goal line during Ghana’s World Cup quarterfinal loss to Uruguay 12 years ago was one of the most contentious moments in World Cup history.
Asamoah Gyan’s penalty kick was blocked by Luis Suarez, who was then given a straight red card for giving up the penalty. Suarez immediately ran off the field and celebrated enthusiastically. The Black Stars’ chance to become the first African team to make it to the World Cup’s semifinals was denied when Uruguay defeated Ghana on penalties.
Twelve years later, on Friday, Uruguay and Ghana square off in a group-stage matchup, with the victor eliminating the loser from the competition.
Thursday’s pre-game news conference featured Suarez, who was informed by a reporter that some Ghanaians refer to him as “the devil himself” and that they eagerly await his retirement.
The striker said, “I committed the handball, but the Ghanaian player missed the penalty, not me.”
If I made a tackle, caused injury to a player, and received a red card, I may apologize. But in this case, I’m not to blame.
I did not overlook the penalty. The player who failed to take the penalty would follow suit. How he shot the penalty is not my concern.
