Luis Suarez said he won’t apologise for the controversial handball incident that denied Ghana a place in the 2010 World Cup semifinals after being told he is regarded as a “devil” in the African nation ahead of Friday’s rematch with Uruguay at Qatar 2022.
Suarez, 35, was sent off for keeping out Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header with his hands in the final minute of extra time in the 2010 quarterfinal in Soccer City, South Africa.
Although Ghana were awarded a penalty to try to win the game, which was tied at 1-1, Asamoah Gyan missed his spot-kick and Uruguay went on to book a semifinal against the Netherlands by winning 4-2 on penalties.
“I don’t apologise about that, I did the handball, but the Ghana player missed the penalty, not me,” Suarez said at a news conference in Doha. “I could apologise if I injured a player with a tackle and got a red card, but in this situation I take a red card and the referee says penalty.
“It’s not my fault, I didn’t miss the penalty. The player who missed the penalty said he would do the same [as I did] in that situation. It’s not my responsibility in this situation.”
