Tournament News
'Allow Suarez to play final'
2010-07-03 17:22
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Johannesburg - Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez pleaded his case on Saturday for why striker Luis Suarez should be allowed to play in the World Cup final if Uruguay beats the Netherlands in Tuesday's semi-final.
Suarez was sent off for a deliberate handball on the line that denied Ghana a winning goal in the dying seconds of Friday's quarter-final, but Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing spot kick and Uruguay went through on penalties.
The red card means Suarez will definitely miss Tuesday's semi-final and could miss the final if FIFA decides to extend the punishment.
"It's not my business. The disciplinary committee will look at it," Tabarez said before training on Saturday. "But I think it (a two-match ban) would be extremely exaggerated."
The handball has also ignited a debate about fair play, but Tabarez defended the Ajax striker.
"I think (calling him a cheat) would be too far-fetched and too twisted," Tabarez said, recalling that Ghana had already gone through a similar situation.
"In this World Cup, Ghana has already been given a penalty because a player stopped the ball on the goal line," Tabarez said. "The only difference is that that goal was to equalize against Australia. This time they missed, but that's not our fault."
Tabarez said Suarez's action was a natural reflex.
"To think that Suarez, when he committed the handball, knew what was going to happen afterward would be something superhuman," the coach said. "The hand of Suarez is the hand of God and the Virgin Mary - that's how Uruguayans see it."
Uruguay's passage to the semi-finals was sealed by a penalty calmly chipped into the goal by Sebastian Abreu.
Tabarez said it was no surprise Abreu used that technique.
"He's done it lots of times. He asked to be the last one to take a penalty and that's when I suspected he had something up his sleeve," Tabarez said. "I asked all the players that took a penalty to be clear in their minds and not have any doubts and obviously it was a crucial moment. I wasn't worried, I saw he was very cool."
Suarez's suspension is not the only selection problem Tabarez will face against the Netherlands.
Captain Diego Lugano will have an MRI scan today on a right knee injury that threatens his participation in the rest of the tournament, while forward Nicolas Lodeiro has a foot injury.
Defender Jorge Fucile received his second yellow card against Ghana and is also suspended.