Sports
Ghana Vs Uruguay: Is Suarez A Hero Or Villain?
I am struggling to remember a more dramatic end to a World Cup match than Friday’s classic quarter-final tie between Uruguay and Ghana at Soccer City.
Luis Suarez’s goal-line handball from Dominic Adiyiah in the dying seconds of extra-time saved a certain goal but resulted in a red card for the Ajax striker and a penalty that was, literally, the last kick of the game before the shoot-out.
Asamoah Gyan, scorer of two spot-kicks already in South Africa, stood just one strike of the football from taking an African team to the last four of the World Cup for the first time.
He had an entire continent behind him, willing him to score, but heartbreakingly for the 24-year-old, his strike skimmed the crossbar and flew into the stand behind the goal.
Moments after his miss the camera cut to Suarez, who had left the field in a state of despondency but was now overcome by sheer, unadulterated fist-pumping joy.
His gamble had paid off in spectacular style.
Minutes later Gyan showed remarkable guts and resilience to score the first Ghanaian penalty of the shoot-out but Fernando Muslera subsequently saved from John Mensah and Adiyiah.
Sebastian Abreu then delivered a stunning coup de grace with an ice-cool looping penalty kick that took an age to reach the net. Stranded Black Stars goalkeeper Richard Kingson could only look on having already dived to his right.
Abreu, a journeyman of 17 clubs in seven countries, was mobbed by his jubilant team-mates but it was Suarez who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Suarez explained afterwards that he knew he could not stop Adiyiah’s effort with his head and so used his hand. The huge grin on his face as he spoke to reporters indicated in the clearest terms possible that he had no regrets about what he had done.
But was it clear-cut, blatant out-right cheating or professionalism that ought to be applauded?
I heard several angry people describe it afterwards as the sort of despicable behaviour that needed to be stamped out.
“The referee should have awarded a goal,” said understandably disappointed Ghana defender John Pantsil, although I personally don’t see how Olegario Benquerenca could have given anything other than a penalty if the ball did not cross the line.
Panstil added: “There is no chance that any of us Ghana players would have used our hand to stop the ball – no way.”
It is difficult not to have some sympathy for Pantsil and his team-mates. They had been the better side during extra-time and could not have come any closer to a dramatic winner.
The vast majority of the 84,017 inside Soccer City were behind them, while Milovan Rajevac’s team had the support of the African continent in general.
“Go BaGhana” said Friday’s headline in The Citizen newspaper, a neat play on Bafana Bafana, while The Times suggested “We Ghana win it”.
At one point on Friday I even heard a chant of “Ghana, Ghana, Ghana” momentarily drown out the sound of the vuvuzela.
Ultimately Ghana’s exploits in South Africa have ensured a measure of respectability for the continent after a disappointing group stage that saw the other five African teams fail to qualify.
They have a young side, with seven of the starting XI in Johannesburg 25 or under, and should have a bright future. Despite his agonising Friday, Gyan is a striker of real quality, while young holding midfielder Anthony Annan looks to be a player of immense promise.
The Black Stars became only the third African side after Cameroon and Senegal to reach the last eight and came within a whisker of a place in the last four – and did so without Michael Essien, their best player.
Uruguay were not so much trying to break new ground, as emulate past glories and the victory for Oscar Tabarez’s team gave them their first semi-final place since 1970
The manner of La Celeste’s progression might disgust some but that should not detract from their overall form in South Africa.
They have just conceded two goals in five games and for a country with a population of 3.5 million, reaching this stage of the competition is a stunning achievement.
I saw their opening game against France and must admit I wondered how they were going to enrich this tournament. They played three in the centre of defence, packed the midfield and lacked ambition.
I had underestimated them.
They had got the point they wanted against the group favourites and played a more expansive game against South Africa, winning 3-0, and have also gone on to defeat Mexico and South Korea.
Suarez and Forlan, who equalised against Ghana with a free-kick, have scored six goals at the World Cup.
They have perhaps been the most formidable strike partnership in the tournament and the absence of Ajax striker Suarez will be a major blow when they take on the Netherlands in Cape Town on Tuesday.
“It is a pity, he made a great save today,” said a clearly delighted Forlan, who rated Friday as the greatest night of his career.
“Suarez is one of the heroes. He didn’t score a goal but he saved one and now we are in the semi-final.”
How Suarez’s actions are interpreted is a matter of culture as well as perspective.
What might be regarded in Europe or Africa as cheating is seen as cunning or exploitation of the rules in other parts of the world.
It could be seen as a moral question or an issue of sportsmanship but, despite what Pantsil said, does anybody really think that professional players all over the world would not have done the same thing?
Suarez did what was required to keep his team in the contest – and there is no doubt that if Suarez had not handled the ball his team would now be reflecting on a defeat, not the high-point in Uruguayan football for 40 years.
“I thought we were out,” said Forlan of the moment when Gyan prepared to take his penalty.
“I was convinced we were going home. When I saw the ball go into the stand it was unbelievable – Suarez saved us.”
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has announced that the National Top 16 Table Tennis Championship will take place Ogu community in Ogu/Bolo local government area of Rivers State, from December 11-14, 2026, in a move aimed at expanding the sport’s popularity and developing talents in the South-South region.
The championship, which is being sponsored by the Fifika Chiri Foundation, according to the President of the NTTF, Dr Adesoji Tayo, would mark the beginning of a sustained effort to promote table tennis beyond its traditional stronghold in the South-West and establish the South-South as a major centre for the sport.
Tayo spoke during a visit to Ogu community, where he inspected facilities for the proposed competition and commended the President of Fifika Chiri Foundation, Alabo Boma Iyaye, for supporting the development of table tennis.
He described table tennis as a sport for everyone, irrespective of age, saying its benefits extended beyond competitive sports to recreation, physical fitness and healthy living.
“Table tennis is a game for all, and it is a game that can be played even till old age,” he said.
According to him, the sport could be played competitively, recreationally and as a means of livelihood, adding that it offered opportunities for young people to develop their talents and become internationally recognised athletes.
“Coming to Rivers State is not just to talk about competition; it is to talk about table tennis and how table tennis can help us to live a good daily life,” Tayo said.
The NTTF president expressed satisfaction with the facilities inspected in Ogu, describing the proposed venue as suitable for the championship.
“I’m happy that a beautiful edifice could be here. It’s good for the competition,” he said.
He also pledged the federation’s support in providing the necessary professional equipment and technical requirements for the event, including competition tables and other materials.
Tayo disclosed that the federation would facilitate the participation of the country’s top 16 male and female players, who would converge on Ogu to showcase their skills.
“We’ll bring them, we’ll facilitate the process of ensuring that they come. We will provide all the professional kits that they will require,” he said.
Speaking while hosting the NTTF president during a courtesy visit in Ogu, Alabo Boma Iyaye, who is also the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said his passion for table tennis was rooted in his childhood experiences and longstanding involvement in sports.
“Growing up in Port Harcourt, we all played table tennis. You cannot grow up in Port Harcourt and not play table tennis,” he said.
Iyaye said he subsequently decided to revive interest in the sport in his community by organising a local Christmas table tennis competition, which later expanded to attract players from across Rivers State.
He said the competition, which had been sustained for several years, inspired him to seek a national-level event for Ogu.
“At the local level, we started, and then we transcended to the state level. We have state players that come in here every Christmas to play table tennis. But this year, I said, ‘Can’t we make it a national competition?'” he said.
The foundation president described the decision to bring the National Top 16 Championship to Ogu as a major achievement for the community and Rivers State.
“I want to specially thank you for accepting to come, not only to Rivers State, but to Ogu, to host the National Top 16. That is a major feat,” he said.
He assured the federation that the community would provide the necessary facilities and logistical support to ensure a successful competition.
According to him, Ogu has hotels, a good road network, a memorial hall suitable for indoor sports and reliable electricity supply through the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company and solar power systems.
“We will do everything within our means to make sure that this competition is not only held in Ogu once, but will continuously hold in this part of the world,” Iyaye said.
He added that the initiative was not only intended to develop table tennis but also to place Ogu on the international sporting map.
Also speaking, the South-South representative on the NTTF board, Ama-ebi Ebikpolade, described the decision to host the competition in Rivers State as a significant development for the region.
He said the South-South had not hosted a major NTTF competition in a long time, despite Rivers State’s reputation as a sporting destination.
“For the first time, I think for the first time, a tournament of that level is coming to Rivers State,” Ebikpolade said.
He commended Iyaye for providing the support needed to bring the championship to Ogu, describing the development as the first step towards making the community an annual host of the competition.
“Today, we have started. We have taken the first step towards the annual hosting of the Nigerian National Top 16 in Ogu, courtesy of Alabo Boma Iyaye, and we cannot thank him enough,” he said.
The 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards ceremony has been postponed, with the new date fixed for December 2, 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria, BSNSports.com.ng reports.
The prestigious awards ceremony, which celebrates outstanding achievements in African football, will bring together the continent’s finest players, coaches, teams and other football stakeholders.
The event is expected to recognise individuals and teams whose performances have shaped African football over the past year.
The postponement means football fans and stakeholders will have to wait a little longer to celebrate the continent’s outstanding performers in what remains one of the biggest events on the African sporting calendar.
Lagos will host the glittering ceremony as Africa’s football community gathers to honour excellence across the continent.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday announced the award of a ?100 million Federal Government Savings Bond to each player on Nigeria’s victorious U-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos.
The bonds attract an annual interest rate of 14 per cent. The investment by the government for the players is for five years.
President Tinubu also announced a cash gift of ?100 million for the coach and ?50 million for each member of the technical crew.
The President announced the rewards during a reception at the Presidential Villa in Abuja for the Flamingos, who reportedly won the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The Flamingos defeated Japan to become the first African team to win the tournament.
President Tinubu was represented at the reception by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
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