Iconic Moments in Football No.69
Few footballers have been disliked as much as Luis Suarez in recent years. The Uruguayan has bitten three opponents in separate incidents over his career, stamped on opposition players and regularly dived in order to win penalties. Almost all of those have been punished with long bans and fines.
However, there was one incident involving Suarez that upset not only the opposition but the whole world. It came in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in Uruguay’s Quarter Final against Ghana.
Uruguay were playing in their eleventh World Cup and were the first winners of the competition. They had last qualified for the World Cup in 2002 but didn’t qualify for the knockout stages after they finished third in their group. Their run to the Quarter Final in 2010 was the furthest that they had gone in the competition since they reached the 1970 Semi Final in Mexico.
Ghana was playing in their second World Cup. Their only other appearance in the competition was at the previous World Cup in Germany, where they reached the Second Round before losing 3-0 to Brazil.
In South Africa, they had finished second in their group before beating USA in the Second Round after extra time. They went into the Quarter Final against Uruguay with every neutral cheering them on, hoping that Ghana would become the first African side to reach the World Cup Semi Final.
Ghana’s Sulley Muntari broke the deadlock in first half stoppage time with a rasping long-range effort. His shot came from a full 40 yards out and zipped past Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslero into the bottom corner.
Diego Forlan equalised for Uruguay with a free kick at the corner of the penalty area ten minutes into the second half. It looked as if he was going to cross the ball in for a team mate to head in but the ball went over everyone’s head and into the far corner of the net.
The game went to extra time and neither side could find a second goal. Then deep into injury time at the end of the second half, Ghana won a free kick out on the right wing, 25 yards from goal between the touchline and edge of the penalty area. Luis Suarez was about to become the villain of the World Cup.
John Paintsil whipped the free-kick into the penalty area and Kevin-Prince Boateng headed the ball on at the near post.
Uruguay’s goalkeeper Fernando Muslera came out to catch the ball but collided with an opponent and Stephen Appiah tried to force the ball in from close range.
The ball struck Luis Suarez who was stood on the goal line, bounced up kindly for Ghana’s Dominic Adiyiah who headed back at goal. Both Suarez and his team mate Jorge Fucile raised an arm to block the goalbound header and it was Suarez’s hand that got to the ball and he batted it away from danger.
The Portuguese referee was in a perfect spot to see the blatant handball and he dismissed Suarez, who left the field in tears.
Former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan stepped up to take the resulting penalty and missed. His penalty hit the top of the crossbar and flew into the crowd behind the goal.
To rub salt into the Ghanaian wounds, Luis Suarez stood and watched the penlty from the entrance of the tunnel. As Gyan’s penalty flew over the bar, the Uruguayan celebrated as if he scored a goal. It was a sickening sight and extremely unsportsman-like.
Uruguay won the penalty shootout 4-2 and progressed to the semi final. They lost 3-2 without their star striker who was banned after his red card.
Luis Suarez joined Liverpool in the January transfer window the following year for just under £23 million. The incident against Ghana was still fresh in fan’s memories and he was given a hard time by opposition fans because of it.
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