Doha, Qatar — Luis Suarez He said he would not apologize for the controversial handball incident, which was denied Ghana Having made the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup, he said he is considered a “devil” in the African nation ahead of Friday’s rematch Uruguay Qatar in 2022.
The 35-year-old Suarez was sent-off for keeping Dominic Adeiah’s goalbound header out of his hands in the last minute of extra time in the 2010 quarter-finals in Soccer City, South Africa.
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Although Ghana were awarded a penalty to win the game, which ended 1–1, Asamoah Gyan missed his spot-kick and Uruguay booked a semi-final against them. Netherlands winning 4–2 on penalties.
The incident was one of the most controversial in World Cup history and cost Ghana the chance to become the first African nation to miss the semi-finals in the competition.
The two countries will meet again on Friday at Al Janab, with Uruguay needing to win at the expense of Ghana from Group H to have any hope of qualification.
But after being told by a Ghanaian journalist that he was “considered diablo – Satan – in Ghana and we want to retire you tomorrow,” Suarez said, adding that he was not to blame for Ghana’s failure to win the 2010 game.
“I don’t apologize for it, I did the handball, but the Ghanaian missed the penalty, not me,” Suarez told a news conference in Doha. “If I hurt a player with a tackle and I get a red card, I can apologise, but in this situation I take the red card and the referee calls a penalty.
“It’s not my fault, I didn’t miss the penalty. The player who missed the penalty said he would [as I did] in that case. It is not my responsibility in this situation.”
Suárez’s career has been overshadowed by numerous on-field controversies, including an eight-match suspension for racial slurs. manchester unitedplaying for patrice evra liverpool and other sanctions for biting opponents while playing and during his time in the Premier League ajax And Uruguay,
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And Suarez said talk of revenge in the Ghana game is “counter-productive”, pointing out how he has been able to move on from the four-month ban he received from FIFA for biting Italy. giorgio chiellini Playing for Uruguay in the 2014 World Cup.
Suarez said, “I don’t know what people are saying about revenge.” “Tomorrow may be the players playing, what were eight years ago [in 2010],
“They’re saying I’m a devil and all these things, but what I did with Chiellini, I played against him afterwards, I made a mistake and we shook hands.
“You can’t just think about the past and seek revenge because it can be counter-productive.”
Suárez is expected to retire from international football if Uruguay fails to win on Friday, but said his country could still get a result by drawing on Uruguay’s virtues as a small nation. .
He said, ‘We are facing challenging times. “But this is our World Cup now. We would have liked to be in a different situation, but we are Uruguayans and we are used to this struggle.
“We are good enough players to be in a different position, but we can rise to the challenge against the odds.
“As footballers, we are used to making excuses, but all our players are doing a good job at their clubs and we are here for our country, so stop making excuses.”
