‘Legyandary’ I’ve still not forgiven Suarez, John Mahama tells Asamoah Gyan

Former President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that he hasn’t forgiven Luis Suarez over his handball incident that denied Ghana a place in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup.

Mahama believes the Black Stars would’ve won the competition, but for the Uruguay striker’s unsporting moment that broke the hearts of many Africans.

The 2020 NDC flagbearer said this when Asamoah Gyan and his team visited him to invite him to the launch of the veteran striker’s autobiography, titled ‘Legyandary’.

“2010 was our opportunity but you know what Suarez did. We know that sometimes legends miss penalties,” Mahama said.

“It broke the heart of all of Africa and I’ve never forgiven Suarez for what he did but we put it behind us. We’ve done quite well.”

It will be recalled that the Black Stars were on the verge of becoming the first African team to reach the last four of the World Cup before losing on penalties to Uruguay.

The defeat was made more painful by the fact that Ghana had a penalty in the final seconds of extra time after Suarez used his hand to keep out Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header.

Although Suarez was sent off for his unsporting act and Ghana awarded a penalty, Asamoah Gyan missed from the spot.

The South Americans eventually won the game 4-2 on penalties to progress to the semi-final of the World Cup at the expense of Ghana.

In a recent interview, Gyan disclosed that it crossed his mind to hit Suarez when Sunderland faced Liverpool in the Premier League after that tournament.

The former Al Ain star was, however, quick to add that he had to let the matter slide after putting himself in Suarez’s shoes.

“People spoke about the incident and it got into my head a bit. I remember when Sunderland faced Liverpool, during the exchange of handshakes, I watched him with some eye.

“I wanted to even punch him because people had said things that had gotten into my head, but I realised I had to let it go because I would’ve done the same thing if I was Suarez,” Gyan added.