Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

When Suarez Robbed Ghana in 2010 FIFA World Cup

An intentional handball foul made by Luis Suarez shattered the dream of the African team Ghana

FIFA World Cup is recognized as the greatest tournament on this planet, for it is not a game but an emotion and a matter of pride for the playing teams. For those 90 minutes, friends change into enemies and are ready to do everything for their side. In the 2010 World Cup, Luis Suarez from the Uruguay national team did a trick to save his team from getting eliminated from the event, which turned into a grand controversy.

It was July 2 2010 when Ghana joined the quarter-final against Uruguay. The World Cup that year was hosted by the continent of Africa. By the quarter final stage, all the other African teams were eliminated and Ghana was the last African team alive in the tournament. Hence, entire Africa had lofty expectations from Ghana.

The match got kicked off and both the nations started attacking each other ferociously. Although Uruguay was a more experienced nation in the World Cup, Ghana was equally positive as they kept the Uruguayan side away from their net. The first half of the match was about to get over when suddenly Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari shocked the world with a screamer shot that entered the Uruguayan net in 47th minute.

The second half began and Uruguay scored an equaliser in 55th minute as Diego Forlan won a free-kick. The match proceeded, but none of the teams could break each other till the 90th minute. The match further got progressed to extra time but till the 119th minute; it was a stalemate. In the 120th minute, the biggest controversial moment of the 2010 World Cup took place.

In the last minutes of the game, Ghanaian player Dominic Adiyiah used a firm header to put a goal into Uruguay’s net. The ball had crossed the goalkeeper and was almost about to enter the net when Luis Suarez used his hands to block the ball. The referee blew the whistle and awarded a penalty to Ghana along with a red card to Luis Suarez for his unethical action.

The 120th minute penalty was taken, but Ghana missed it and the match resulted in a draw. It went to penalty where Uruguay won and advanced to the semi-finals. Suarez’s action was viewed as a sacrifice by many, but for Ghana and Africa, it was a loot. In a recent interview, Ghanaian player Sapeir said, “Even after 10 years, I can’t forgive him. It was not an accident. We were crying and you see someone who has cheated us, is celebrating. How can I forgive him?”