Ghana's players may have moved on from their gut-wrenching upset against Uruguay in 2010 - but the country hasn’t.
That was the message coming loud and clear from the Black Stars’ camp as the Qatar World Cup eagerly awaited an A-list grudge match. 12 years ago, the world of football was outraged after Luis Suarez’s handball during extra time of their quarter-final sparked controversy in South Africa.
With the teams locked a 1-1, the striker prevented Dominic Adiyah from scoring the winner with a header - Suarez was at least sent-off for the offence - but profited when Asamoah Gyan’s penalty struck the crossbar. Suarez celebrated wildly in the tunnel and that injustice was compounded when the game went to penalties - and Uruguay won.
This Friday’s clash has been billed as chance for Ghana to put the record straight. While Otto Addo’s squad were keen to play it down, they also admitted the sore still festers at home.
Former West Ham and Swansea striker Andre Ayew said: “I’m the only one left in the squad from when that happened. Everyone knows how we felt. Everyone felt bad but, for me, I just want to get to the next stage at this World Cup.
“It’s not about revenge. Whether it was, or not, we’ll go with the same determination and same desire to win because we want to reach the next stage. I don’t think Ghana has forgiven Luis Suarez. But for me, it’s football. He took a decision. There’s nothing to speak about.”
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Left-back Gideon Mensah echoed his skipper’s sentiments but admitted that his country held a different view. He said: “We’re not looking for revenge. We’re not. For the country and some individuals, yes, they are.
“It wasn’t a good feeling for us. We expected to win when we got the penalty with the handball, so it wasn’t great for us. For the players now, it’s just like any other game. We need three points. It doesn’t matter if people say it’s revenge. We still have to get the points.”
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was playing in Under-21s football when the incident occurred. He believes that any talk of revenge needs to be put to bed.
He said: “History is always there. Everyone was very sad at the time. It was very difficult. This is a new generation. We have another chance and we have to forget what happened. This is a new time.”
As for Addo, he believes that concentrating on the job in hand will be better than setting up the game as a revenge mission. He said: “We are two different teams. Every game we play, we are on edge. We’ll have to be at our best to win.
“I’m very confident. What happened in 2010 is a long time ago. I believe that if you don’t seek revenge, sometimes you get more blessings.”
