Luis Suarez handball: when did Uruguay ace stop goal against Ghana and who did he bite in World Cup 2014?

Uruguay and Ghana are set to face off in their highly-anticipated final World Cup group fixture this afternoon, with both teams in need of a win to progress to the knockout stages.

The South American side have disappointed in the tournament so far, despite being tipped to be this year’s ‘dark horses’ by many. They have picked up only one point from their opening two matches, playing out a dull 0-0 draw with South Korea which made history as neither side claimed a shot on target before suffering a 2-0 defeat to Portugal.

Meanwhile, Ghana have looked a lot more lively and currently sit second in Group H following their dramatic 3-2 win over the South Koreans on Monday. A win for Ghana would see them qualify for the Round of 16, however Uruguay would need the three points and to hope that South Korea fail to cause an upset against Cristiano Ronaldo’s side.

While the tension is building as both countries look to claim a top two spot, the name on everyone’s lips is Luis Suarez - and not because he is yet to score this World Cup. The striker is deeply unpopular in Ghana for his previous World Cup exploits and Otto Addo’s side will be desperate to get their revenge on Uruguay in today’s clash.

What happened in Uruguay and Ghana’s last World Cup meeting?

Uruguay and Ghana’s only other competitive meeting came in the 2010 World Cup quarter-final. After goals from Sulley Muntari and Diego Forlan, Ghana were denied a dramatic late winner when Suarez deliberately saved Dominic Adiyah’s shot on the goal line with his hand to prevent them from taking the lead. The forward was shown a straight red card and the Africans were gifted a penalty, however Asamoah Gyan’s chance came crashing off the crossbar and Suarez was spotted wildly celebrating on the side of the pitch. Uruguay went onto beat Ghana on penalties, denying the Black Stars the chance of becoming the first African side to reach the last four of the World Cup.

To make matters worse, Suarez was questioned about the incident and Ghana’s opinion of him in a press conference earlier this week and the 35-year-old refused to apologise 12 years on. Suarez said: “I did the handball, but the Ghana player missed the penalty, not me. Maybe I would apologise if I did a tackle, injured a player and took a red card. But in this situation... it’s not my fault. I didn’t miss the penalty. The player who missed the penalty, he would do the same. It’s not my responsibility how he shot the penalty.”

Who did Luis Suarez bite at 2014 World Cup?

Luis Suarez’s handball in 2010 wasn’t his only World Cup controversy as he went on to become the talk of the following tournament four years later too. Uruguay faced Italy in their final group stage match and needed a win to advance, while Italy only needed a draw. With just over 10 minutes remaining of the game, Suarez clashed with Giorgio Chiellini and replays showed that the former Liverpool star lunged at Chiellini and bit his shoulder before falling down and clutching his face. Despite protests from the Italian side, Suarez was not penalised and Uruguay went onto win a corner and scored - eliminating Italy from the tournament.

Two days later, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned Suarez for nine international matches and the attacker played no further part in the World Cup, as well as missing out on the 2015 Copa America. He was also banned from taking part in any football-related activity for four months.