Suarez gets one-match ban
Source: Agencies |
July 5, 2010, Monday
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URUGUAY striker Luis Suarez was given a one-match ban by FIFA on Saturday for the controversial last-minute handball which denied Ghana a World Cup semifinal place.
The decision not to give him a stiffer sanction means he will be eligible to return for the final should Uruguay beat the Netherlands in Tuesday's first semifinal in Cape Town.
Suarez denied Ghana the prize of becoming the first African team to reach the last four of a World Cup when he handled on the goalline in the dying seconds.
He was sent off for the offense but Ghana's Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty, the match ended 1-1 after extra-time and Uruguay won the shootout 4-2.
The Uruguay striker said his conscience was clear, however.
"It was worth being sent off in this way because at that moment there was no other choice," Suarez told reporters. "I'm very calm."
His coach Oscar Tabarez rejected assertions that the team had won by cheating.
"Yes, he stuck his hand out but is that cheating?" he asked. "I think it was instinctive. He was thrown out (of the game), he can't play the next match. There are consequences.
"When he handled, he didn't know Ghana would miss the penalty. Is Suarez to blame for Ghana missing the penalty in the shootout?"
FIFA's disciplinary committee met to consider the incident and could have banned the player for longer than one match.
Meanwhile, Uruguay's creative midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro has been ruled out of the World Cup with a broken foot while captain Diego Lugano is having tests on a knee injury, the team said in a statement on Saturday.
Lodeiro fractured a bone in his right foot in the match against Ghana. The 21-year-old, who has been used as a substitute, replaced Alvaro Fernandez at halftime.
Defender Lugano, who limped off just before halftime, is having tests after damaging the ligaments in his right knee. The Uruguay defense will also be missing Jorge Fucile, who earned a second yellow card against Ghana.
The decision not to give him a stiffer sanction means he will be eligible to return for the final should Uruguay beat the Netherlands in Tuesday's first semifinal in Cape Town.
Suarez denied Ghana the prize of becoming the first African team to reach the last four of a World Cup when he handled on the goalline in the dying seconds.
He was sent off for the offense but Ghana's Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty, the match ended 1-1 after extra-time and Uruguay won the shootout 4-2.
The Uruguay striker said his conscience was clear, however.
"It was worth being sent off in this way because at that moment there was no other choice," Suarez told reporters. "I'm very calm."
His coach Oscar Tabarez rejected assertions that the team had won by cheating.
"Yes, he stuck his hand out but is that cheating?" he asked. "I think it was instinctive. He was thrown out (of the game), he can't play the next match. There are consequences.
"When he handled, he didn't know Ghana would miss the penalty. Is Suarez to blame for Ghana missing the penalty in the shootout?"
FIFA's disciplinary committee met to consider the incident and could have banned the player for longer than one match.
Meanwhile, Uruguay's creative midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro has been ruled out of the World Cup with a broken foot while captain Diego Lugano is having tests on a knee injury, the team said in a statement on Saturday.
Lodeiro fractured a bone in his right foot in the match against Ghana. The 21-year-old, who has been used as a substitute, replaced Alvaro Fernandez at halftime.
Defender Lugano, who limped off just before halftime, is having tests after damaging the ligaments in his right knee. The Uruguay defense will also be missing Jorge Fucile, who earned a second yellow card against Ghana.
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