"Ghana wants revenge. It is motivation" - Asamoah Gyan says Black Stars are determined to get the better of Luis Suarez and Uruguay at FIFA World Cup
Asamoah Gyan has admitted Ghana players will be out for revenge in their FIFA World Cup match against Uruguay. The Black Stars can eliminate the South American side by beating them.
Suarez handled the ball heading into goal in a 2010 World Cup quarterfinal against Ghana, who were awarded a last-minute penalty in extra time. However, Gyan missed the spot kick, and the African side were beaten in the penalty shootout.
The former Liverpool and Barcelona striker's handball is yet to be forgiven by Ghana fans and some have spoken about getting revenge this time.
Gyan was talking to the BBC when he said:
"When the draw was made and they saw Uruguay in Ghana's group, the only thing in people's mind was revenge. Ghana wants revenge, it is motivation. People all over the world know what happened. It is behind me, but I'm human and it's in the back of my mind."
He added:
"We have South Korea, Portugal and Uruguay - and the most important game for Ghana is against Uruguay. It is in the back of everybody's mind, going for revenge, revenge, revenge. Our goal is to qualify for the next stage of the competition. If we are going to think Uruguay, Uruguay, Uruguay it is going to be a mistake. We have to qualify, that's the most important thing."
Uruguay striker Luis Suarez refuses to apologise to Ghana for FIFA World Cup incident
Luis Suarez became a national hero in Uruguay when he handled the ball and helped his side make the semi-finals in 2010. The same incident saw him become a villain in Africa as it stopped Ghana from becoming the first African side to qualify for the FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
The Uruguay striker was asked about the incident in a press conference this week but he refused to apologize. He said:
"I won't apologise for that. I took a red card, it was not my fault that the Ghana player missed the penalty. Maybe I could apologise if I had injured the player. I haven't thought about this. I don't know what people are saying or if they want revenge. We beat Portugal in 2018. Have you heard Portuguese people saying they needed revenge?"
Ghana are second in the group right now and will get eliminated from the FIFA World Cup if Uruguay beat them on Friday.