Uruguay Striker Luis Suarez Pledged to Not Go Back to Africa 11 Years After the Ghana Handball Incident
Uruguay striker Luis Suarez vowed on Thursday that he will not visit Africa on his own, after the handball incident that happened in their match against Ghana in Africa, which happened more than a decade ago.
It can be recalled that Suarez denied Africa in 2010 as he stopped a goal-bound effort with his hand, Ghana Soccernet reported. During that time, it was Africa's first time to host the quarter-final clash between Uruguay and Ghana of the World Cup.
After 11 years, the handball incident seemed to be fresh in the mind of the Uruguay striker.
"I will never visit Africa on my own. Not anytime soon. After my hand save against Ghana," Suarez pointed out.
The Uruguay striker furthered that Ghana would have been in the semi-finals of the World Cup during that time if he did not use his hands to save his country.
Aside from visiting Africa, the Uruguay striker also underscored that he will decline any offers if he will be tapped to coach in Africa.
"Even if I become coach, I will coach somewhere else, not there [Africa]," Luis Suarez underscored.
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Africans on Uruguay Striker Luis Suarez's Handball
It seems Suarez was not the only one who cannot forget his handball incident during his match against Ghana in 2010.
In an interview with BBC, Ghana football player Joh Paintsil said that he thinks their team won during their match against Uruguay at that time.
"For me, the Uruguay game is a game I think we won," Paintsil said in an interview last year, as he recalled the 2010 game in Africa which is known to be one of the most dramatic matches in men's World Cup history.
Paintsil furthered that he felt their team was "cheated" during the match.
"We were cheated... To clear from the ball from the line with your hand - it's supposed to be a goal," Paintsil said. The player furthered that people from Ghana are still talking about the handball incident Suarez did.
Although the incident occurred 11 years ago, Paintsil said in his interview that he cannot forgive Suarez for what he did.
"I cannot forgive him because it wasn't an accident... He knows what he [Suarez] has done. We were crying and you see someone who has cheated celebrating. How can I forgive him? Never. Never ever," Paintsil underscored.
Uruguay Striker Luis Suarez's Handball Incident
On July 2, 2010, Ghana had hopes of winning against Uruguay, as the other African teams in the league had been all eliminated, leaving them the only African stars in the competition.
As the game between Ghana and Uruguay entered on its 120th minute, Sports Illustrated pointed out that Ghana was able to win a free-kick from the right. Paintsil slung the ball over the wall, which led to a lot of things in the soccer field happening very quickly.
In an "ensuing" goalmouth scramble, Suarez legally cleared a shot off the line from captain Steven Appaiah. The ball bounced up and Dominic Aadiyah at that time came in to strike.
Diego Fucil from Uruguay was not able to bock Aadiyah's attack but Suarez was able to intervene and palmed Aadiyah's header away from the goal.
The replay confirmed that Suarez pushed the ball away from the goal, purposefully reaching out for the ball with both of his hands.
Paintsil said that he thought they won because the last man on the line touched the ball with his hand. However, the penalty against Suarez was smacked as he turned back to the field and celebrated.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
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