The Blacks Stars of Ghana need to avoid defeat against Uruguay as they play a grudge match in their last group H tie of the FIFA World Cup on Friday. Ahead of the match what had dominated discussion was Luis Suarez’s infamous handball that prevented Ghana from reaching the semi-final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Suarez stopped a goalbound effort on the line during the quarter-final, which saw Ghana awarded a penalty and the forward being sent off for the offence. Asamoah Gyan missed the penalty in added time at the end of the second period of extra time, with Suarez seen celebrating before heading down the tunnel. Speaking of the game, Blacks Stars coach Otto Addo said he would expect his players to do the same if they found themselves in Suarez’s shoes. “In general it is about perspective, if the same incident would have happened the other way around and Ghana proceeded to the semi-finals, everyone would say it is normal that a player would do anything he can to help his team go to the semi-finals,’ Addo said. “For me, it’s not a big topic. This is what I wish for every player, to do all he can to help his team qualify. Sometimes even sacrificing himself with a red card. ‘It is not a normal game, because the public is making it a different game, Addo said. ‘But for me it is a normal game.’ ‘What happened in 2010 is very sad but we can’t change it. We want to look forward and we want to win this game.
Uruguay have to beat Ghana at the Al Janoub Stadium if they are to progress to the last-16, having earned only one point from their opening two matches.
