Why Luis Suarez Did the Right Thing (Sort of)

He DID the right thing. There's no “sorts” about it.

the perfect answer to the whole situation, suarez put himself on the line for the team, he won't play the next games due to this but he didn't care, he wanted uruguay to proceed…. i actually respected him more because of this.

No he didn't do the right thing, he cheated and it cost Ghana the game. It was disgraceful and poor sportsmanship and sends a bad message to future players. A red card was not harsh enough!!!!! Uruguay only won the game by cheating and that will be remembered above all else!!!!

Ethically it probably can be questioned, but from a game perspective, it was a strategic gamble that paid off. The violation was penalized according to the rules of the game and luck had it that Ghana did not capitalize on the chance. Anyone in his position would have done the same thing and therefore it was THE THING to do from a time's perspective. Very dramatic end to the game — as a viewer I can't complain from lack of excitement at the end of the game!

He definitely did the right thing. It was a gamble and a sacrifice, and even if it didn't work it was that or guarantee that Uruguay get knocked out. It's not like he wasn't punished for his actions.

I don't understand how this can be considered cheating any more than, say, Harry Kewell's handball or Khune's takedown of Suarez were.

he committed a crime and took the punishment, Suarez took one for the team. As for ethics…this is professional commercial football, what ethics?

Ghana dived and time-wasted their way to a win against USA, so this is just karma coming back to bite them in the ***.

you guys are heartless. ghana was the better team from the 45th minute until the very end, and deserved to go through. Suarez CHEATED on a sure Ghana goal, end of story.

With that said, Gyan has GOT to convert that penalty..pity

This kind of play brings the whole game down just like diving and play acting. How can we view a cheat as a hero, it makes no sense? I fear for where this beutiful game is headed and I am sadened at the amount of support that such actions recieve. Shame shame shame.

In a situation like this why should Ghana even have to take the penalty? If the player cheats to prevent a clear goal, which Suarez did, then shouldn't they just award the goal?

Sure ethically its not right to handball the ball in soccer. But what he did was tactically correct, ask any soccer coach. He knew what he was doing and he suffered the consequences(red card) So whats every bodies problem? Any player knows that's the right thing to do in that situation and any player would do it for their team. Go ahead and look and see the legend Pele would do it and plenty of stars today like Lionel Messi, etc. would do it to. He did what he did and everybody needs to get over it because games like this is exactly why we love soccer,.

Suarez had the football intuition to do it and it was 100% the right thing to do. He's penalized for it, unlike Henry's handball which sent France into the World Cup. Now THAT's cheating.

Can't the same reasoning be used to justify all cheating on the pitch as long as the referee sees it and makes the right call? Wouldn't that mentality bring down the sport? What message does that send to impressionable youngsters watching the game?

These are the rules to the game, as it has always been. Gyan should have scored his penalty..there are no sympathy awards in football.

Let's face it, Suarez is a Uruguayan hero. And rightfully so.

I wouldn't say that what Suarez did was unethical. For one, it was clearly an intuitive decision. It was the last minute, the ball went very fast, he didn't have any time to think. He saved a goal, but took the punishment – in effect he sacrificed himself for the team (he won't be able to play in the next game). I don't see that kind of play as cheating. After all, he did save it, the ball didn't go in and there was a penalty. Also let's not forget the highly questionable foul that the free kick was awarded for. That said, I'm feel hugely sorry for Ghana. They did 'deserve' to win (though it was an incredibly even game). But ironically those kind of tragedies make football such a beautiful game.

I'm too tired to argue about this again, but if so, will you then acknowledge that Neuer and Tevez are just as bad? Both have acknowledged they knew the ref was wrong, yet they carried on.

AND for the last time… the score between FRA and IRL was tied, it's not like the Gallas goal reversed the fortunes, the match was headed to pks, it was undecided at that point. PKs, on France's turf, Lloris in goal. A good 60% chance of winning for France.

No, because then you'd get into situations where it could be argued that the ball might NOT have gone in and therefore awarding a goal was bad. It's really just simpler to do it this way. You have situations where the keeper trips the opposing player while attempting to clear the ball in a 1v1 situation. Now the question is: had the keeper not hit the player nor the ball, would the player have gotten to the ball and then scored a goal? Should a goal be awarded anyhow since it's implied (by the awarding of the penalty) that the player would have gotten to the ball had the keeper not tripped him? It's a huge conundrum. What about penalties that are awarded even though there is no 100% clear chance that the ball would have gone in? i.e. a defensive player pulls the shirt of an opposing player and even though there are 4 defending players in front of goal and there is no CLEAR scoring chance, the penalty is still awarded since it's a foul inside the penalty area. In this case, the offensive team is at an advantage to score a goal where there wasn't one before.

This is the simplest way to do it and the fairest. It's not completely fair but since when is football supposed to be that way?

Well how about the NBA then? Tactical fouls are part of the game, nobody calls them cheaters.

It's unforgivable for a professional footballer to miss the goal entirely on a PK shot.

Actually Neuer only said that he saw that the ball was clearly behind the line after seeing a replay, while he was waiting for the doping test. While it happened, he wasn't sure and thus tried to play it as quick as possible to not give the referee the impression it was over but at that point he wasn't 100% sure either. He sandwiched the sentence, where he saw the replay prior to the doping test, in between what he did when it actually happened, and apparently this was enough for the German-English translators to produce another FAIlL. Can't remember a World Cup where so many statements were so badly (intentionally) translated from German to English.

I'd like to ask some of the morons on this page a question: where was the ball going before Luis Suarez KNOWINGLY knocked it away with his HANDS??? Answer: it was going into the back of the net. There was no doubt about the outcome of that shot…it was going to be a goal. You replace a 100% goal-scoring chance with a 50-50 goal-scoring chance (i.e. a penalty) and you call that fair???? In such cases, the ref should give the goal outright and red-card the cheater who used his HANDS in F-O-O-T-BALL!!!!!!!

Gotta wonder what some people are teaching their kids. Utilitarian arguments seem to be all the thing – if the cost/benefit equation works for you, just go ahead. Sure, it was certainly the best tactical decision for his team, doesn't change the fact that this was still cheating. But being successful is more important than any principle involved, I guess.

This is INSANITY. I can't believe people actually believe Suarez did the right thing! If you have no honour or integrity, then yes by that moral standard you should try and win by any means possible, cheat in the most disgraceful way imaginable if necessary as long as the ref doesn't see – is this what winning the world cup is about?

These kinds of attitudes make me not want to watch football anymore. And it was not an instinctive reaction, he clearly put his hands up – either way he robbed Ghana of their deserved win, and I say that having originally rooted for Uruguay.

You're right, there isnt a sympathy award. But FIFA preaches FAIR PLAY. and this world cup has been everything but fair.

Suarez: “The hand of God now belongs to me. I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training, I play as a GK.”

I find this annoying, but what can you do? He's right, no?

The ref did see. Suarez didn't try to deceive him. He took his punishment with his head held high and walked off the pitch without arguing or hurling abuse at anyone. How is that disgraceful?

Because it violates the principle of fair play, based on the moral notion that to cheat is unacceptable. There was obviously no intent to deceive, rather a coldly utilitatarian calculation that cheating was the best option at the time. No problem with understanding that, but I do have a problem with the assumption we should celebrate it. Sucess is not the only measure.

You say it as though he was somehow cheating in an honourable way. I didn't call him a disgrace in that post, but I would infact say he is a disgrace because he looked like he knew what he was doing. Ghana would have won the match, but in order to stop them from scoring a nice and legal goal to rightly win, he needed to consciously cheat. I don't care if he got the right punishment or whatever, he is immoral, he has absolutely no sportmanship and it is yet further embarassment to football – although to be fair he is certainly not on his own in acting this way.

people who whine and complain about exploitation of loopholes or subclauses clearly aren't winners.

as to suarez, let's be real guys. it was a split second reaction. whether it was deliberate or not doesn't matter. it was a clear handball. but suarez's gaffe is probably the best thing to happen to the nation of uruguay.

suarez didn't rob Ghana of their “deserved” win. tell me how missing a PK at the end of extra time is deserving of winning?

You're gunning for the guy who, I understand, just said this:

“'It was worth it to be sent off in this way. It was complicated and tough. We suffered to the end but the hand of God, it's mine now,' the striker said.

I must have missed the part where an expression of infamy became a badge of honour.

Um… because it is 100% certain that they would have scored the winning goal had it not been for Suarez? And the PK wouldn't have happened in the first place?

Also I couldn't care less how much the crooked win means to the nation of Uruguay if it came at the cost of the right team's DESERVED place in the semi-finals: Ghana.

i never understood how people can claim one team “deserved” to win over another.. like the argument if two teams pray to God to win.. obviously one loses.. does that mean God favors one side over another?

on a less philosophical note, i fail to see how Ghana was the clear cut better team. They created more late second half chances.. but so did the US when they played Ghana. Ironic how the two games mirror one another.. Regardless creating chances doesn't mean you win *cough*Brazil*cough*. Ghana's lack of finishing cost them the match. NOT Suarez.

In a perfect world where penalties are rightfully justified, yes Ghana would've won.. but the world isn't perfect. Rules cannot cover everything. And Ghana failed to capitalize on a chance to seal victory handed to them on a platter.

People can hate on Suarez for being unethical for committing a handball. But my golly, if you were in that situation with a ball coming high up by your face, you wouldn't react with your hands? This isn't like the Henry incident where the crime went unpunished. He got a red card. He's ineligible for the next game. He gave Ghana a game winning PK opportunity (which Ghana choked on). The point is that Suarez's gaffe became Uruguay's saving grace.

Why can't people just understand this?

Not got a problem with understanding – he made a utilitarian decision to give his side a game winning opportunity. What I don't understand is those folks who think that cheating to obtain this opportunity was somehow OK (like the author of the article).

A while back, at least, “the hand of God” wasn't viewed universally positively. Are we now wanting to tell kids that are entering the game that cheating is just fine, as long as the benefit gained outweighs the cost? Maybe we are, but you can count me out of that crowd.

My final comment on the matter – again: bascially, the end does NOT justify the means, regardless of absolutely anything you've just said.

…But he really wanted to win! Oh well in that case players can foul, dive and dissent as long as it's part of the masterplan to win the game. But don't worry, they'll get sent off or booked, get their punishment which means it's fine, forget about playing by the rules, it's all about the WIN! This is not a measure of sporting ability.

Ghana shouldn't have had to convert a last minute penalty kick, they had done the job but it was stolen from them in an illegal move. Bye for now.

Oh ThreeQuid21, you're such a bigot. Suarez knew he was going to get caught. It's not cheating. The rules of football allows players to committ fouls and handballs. Each foul, handball, etc. implies a “punishment” that is administered by the referee (a free kick, a penalty, a yellow or red card, etc.). It's part of the rules of the game, so Suarez didn't cheat, he just used one of the options he has as a player, and the team faced the consequences of that, according to what the rules say. So learn how the sport is played or go watch something else (clearly, you don't understand football).

He took a gamble that 9 times out of 10 would not have paid off… but if a professional footballer cannot score from a dead ball 12 yards out then it's a poor show. We would not be having this discussion had Ghana scored, but they didn't. It is not moral certainly, but how much of football is these days? The same people shouting cheat would have been cheering when Owen dived against Argentina, Keita feigned a blow to the head against Brasil, or when Maradona scored with the (in)famous hand of God if it suited the team they supported. Suarez took one for his team… and I bet if asked to answer honestly, many others would have done the same… he knew the rule and made his decision. In doing so he has got himself banned from maybe the biggest match of his career… and I'm not suggesting we should feel sorry for him, we shouldn't, but I'll bet all the money in my pockets against all the money in yours that he is a popular man in the Uruguarian hotel tonight, and that he'll sleep just fine.

Once again, to dive or to score with the hand like Maradona is cheating. What Suarez did was to use the rules in his team's favour. The rules say: “You can touch it with the hand in your area but, if you are not the goal keeper, the other team gets a penalty”. That what happened. End of discussion.

what suarez did is just not right he should not be proud of what he has done in order to advance however all he really did was to make gana score another way and they were not able to so did he cheat yes but gana should of made that pk and not suffer the way they did

I agree with you… at no time do I call him a cheat.. if you read I say, “he knew the rule and made his decision”… I also say, “the same people shouting cheat”… and that does NOT include me.

to reduce a 100% guaranteed goal to a 9 out of 10 chance penalty kick,
isn't considered calculated and malicious?,
and those that condone this behaviour, of “robbing” a victory for the benefiet of others (in this case his team mates and country) would also condone ppl killin and robbing a bank, in order to provide for the desperately poor?
because its for the “greater good”? nah i thought not,
Suarez knew he could rob them of their victory, and a 9-10 spot kick, doesnt become 9-10 when its the winning kick of the match does it,
players psychological state ofter 119 minutes of gameplay, let alone physical exhaustion do nothing to those odds?
grow up,
all you people who condone this behaviour and play,
YOUR the reason why OUR premier league has turned into a league filled with diving pussies, who have no honor and integrity.
end of.

Otherwise by the reasonin every1 is using,
i can go kill a man, that i dont like,
serve the punishment, and as long as i do that, i shouldnt be hindered from nothing,
no record. and it would be ok for all…..thats bullshit and you all know it.

its people like suarez, and the influence they have on other players (when they get away with it in a WORLD CUP), thats turned our premier league into a fuckin fairy filled diving fest.
suarez is a mug. the rules shud be changed to red card, goal awarded AND 5 match ban, INCLUDING finals….if u cant do the time, dont do the crime…..

they robbed ghana….
funny that…..its not the first time africa has ever been robbed of anything is it…….

Yes, exactly. Great post, cafu1978. This is the equivalent of a player busting out the “get out of jail free” card in monopoly. Suarez played the card just like any other player would have, and he paid the consequences. What's wrong with that?

“i can go kill a man”

Uhh no, that's NOT the argument people are making. People are arguing that the rules of this GAME–please note the keyword here: GAME–allow for this to happen. When you kill someone, you end their lives and the connections they had with other people (their family, friends, coworkers, etc.) You end a lot of things, dreams, love, relationships; that's all GONE.

When you handle the ball on the goal line to prevent the other team from scoring, you stopped another team from scoring. That's all. Killing someone and handling the ball with your hand is NOT the same thing. Getting a red card and going to prison for life are NOT the same thing.

Ghana will have another go at the WC in four years. It's a game. Relax.

I think the REAL problem here is when people make football analogies to things like life and death, as evidenced here. When THAT happens, people get killed. Please go google Andres Escobar, and learn to separate LIFE, DEATH, and–football.

Suarez is a POS. He has no honor, no class and deserves as much respect as a mongrel dog who eats the viscera of his dead owner.
That said he is a hero in his country. Most of us watching or playing football have no money or career at stake so it is easy for us to take the moral high ground. I hope some pissed off locals run into him in a bar celebrating his stained victory since he is disqualified now and has no need to stay fit. Payback is a bitch. If I were him I'd grow a bad moustache and try to make a commerical for Pan African TV a la Landon Donovan in Mexico.
Much respect to Ghana for playing up tempo, free and never quitting. This event only unfolded because the other team had already resigned themselves to PKs and quit playing the last 30 seconds. And to think they did it all without Essien. One only wonders if he had been fit.

You're an idiot

How can even compare murdering to football?
I bet you've never played football, cause if you had then you would know that sometimes you have those moments where you just don't think about it and you just do things.

Suarez got the punishment the rule book says he should get, if the rule book said that he'll be branded as a handballer for the rest of his life. However it doesn't say that he was sent off, didn't take one of the pks, and will not play against Holland next game, and if the rule book says something else you can guarantee your ass he would get punished with that too.

What's wrong with the EPL is the diving? than I recommend you watch Ghana's sweet 16 win against the US.

Grow up get over it Ghana had their chance to win even though Uruguay was the better team, and Suarez did NOT get away with it (unless seeing the ref flash a red card too him was a product of my imagination.

all due respect,
i understand your point!
i see you argue the analogy which i used, but not the figures i posted.
maybe i used the wrong analogy, but its not about the act as such, but more the morals and ethics.
the fact we applaud and cheer, and the fact this guy is now respected and classified a “hero” is disgusting.
i take it you condone the way suarez acted, would u classify that as sportsman like conduct?
these people represent their country,
i for one would be disgraced, and have been, if england win like that.
Suarez is ONE of MANY this is true, BUT in every other instance justice had been dealt, tonight justice was not dealt.
reducing what was a 100% guaranteed goal to anything thats less then a 100% guaranteed goal, is not justice, in fact its quite the opposite.
uruguay were the second best team on the park, if you dont beleive it, google up the match statistics, numbers dont lie.
u mention the killing of dreams, so do you believe no dreams were ended tonight?
the problem is the likes of suarez and christiano ronaldo (to name but a few of many) have turned football into theatrics, we are at a poitn were harsher punishment should be given to players who conduct this sort of immoral conduct in the game.
the bottom line is, uruguay, lost to ghana and suarez couldnt handle it.
africa was robbed yet again, its not the first time the nation has been robbed of something, is it…..
for all those that “claim it was a reaction” there was other players who could have done the same thing, but didnt, if it was a “natural” human rection, then they would have tried it aswell, but they DIDNT…..
bottom line, suarez will get whats coming to him through karma,
and when he does suffer a career ending injury only then will the continent of africa be appeased for such an injustice!

Technically, he *did* the right thing. As a sportsman, he willingly took the punishment and could not have known how the penalty was going. All Ghana's own fault. He took one for the team. Nothing wrong with that. He didn't get away with it, he wasn't lying or cheating. It was unsportsmanlike conduct, but he did, what he had to do. And it payed off.

Diving and flopping for a penalty would have been something different.

These comments are rubbish. Calling something like this “cheating” is ridiculous. He handballed, he accepted his punishment, of a red card/penalty, he did what he could to keep his team and country alive. It's like saying you cheated in war, there is just no such thing. It's in the rules that if you do something like this, you get sent off and the opposing team gets a penalty. Exactly that happened, did it not? Everything in the rule book happened today, didn't it? If he handballed and the ref didn't see it, THEN that would be massive (but more of the ref's fault instead).

Uruguay used their brain. Ghana missed a penalty from 10 yards out. How can you say Ghana deserved to advance like that?

I have argued your football-related points in previous posts, and others have, as well. It's a simple rule; handle the ball in the pen area, you get a red and a penalty is awarded to the other team. Why is that so hard to understand? It's a rule of the game. Don't like it, don't play it.

“u mention the killing of dreams, so do you believe no dreams were ended tonight?”

I mentioned that AND A LOT MORE. What you are doing here is poisoning the well; trying to make the other side in a debate look bad in order to garner sympathy and support for your side. You started with saying that we supported death, and now you're saying that I support the killing of dreams. Yes, dreams were destroyed today. Just as dreams would have been destroyed had Uruguay lost. Supporting either side would mean supporting the killing of dreams.

“its not the first time the nation has been robbed of something, is it…..”

Se, here, again, you have a problem separating the game from real life. Africa was robbed of many things, most of them involving freedom, economic stability, life… here, The Ghana National Football team LOST A FUCKING GAME. They are not equivalent. Never have been, never will be.

All of these arguments you are using are bunk and are used solely for emotional effect. Come back with a real argument and maybe we'll continue talking.

Totally agree with you andbut your analogies were not flawless… from what I know exageration in an analogy to prove your point does not work for most (they get stuck in the exageration like it was not JUST AN IMAGE)

For those who agree with this article….I have a simple fact that I want an answer on…Not the same situation EXACTLY but…
Was Thierry Henry RIGHT to do what he did against Ireland?? He was facing his countries humiliation (football wise)… I dont think getting beaten at the last second of a Quarter Final can be compared…So was He right?
if you are thinking no…theres is no way it can be yes for Suarez…disgraceful both were but at least Henry looked ashamed EVEN AFTER WINNING!

No way a fan of football can honestly say He was right… Its awfull to see him do that even if it was a fast thing, its even worst to see sum1 think about it and say he even MIGHT have doen the right thing…

dont be stupid, his “punishment” was Uruguay going to the semi's…. omg, im sure he will always remember the year he blatantly hand balled and was punished by his country getting into the semi-finals of the world cup. What a joke. I am Ukrainian so I watched this game very neutrally, but after seeing that disgusting move, I will be eternally Uruguay's anti-fan.

The difference between Henry's handball and Suarez' “save” are that Henry got away with it. Suarez did not. He paid for his actions as the rulebook suggests.

Had a player from Ghana done this, the reaction would have been 100% the same because every player under the rules officiated by FIFA has that exact same option. The option not every player has is to handle the ball, not get called for it and then supply a teammate with an assist. That's not in the rule books. Suarez' actions are in the rulebooks. See the difference? It's pretty big.

This is no different in my eyes than a flagrant foul in basketball. In basketball, you may see the opponent about to score an easy lay-up so you intentionally foul as a strategy. Yes it blocks the easy point from being scored but it forces that player to shoot free throws to earn the same points. Both are strategic decisions that cause the player to be penalized but at the expense of trying to help his team win. If the handball wasn't called, it's a whole 'nother argument but it was so…My heart bleeds for my Black Stars but congrats to Uruguay.

the reaction of suerez when ghana missed the penalty says it ALL… these are professionals, there are taught and train how to defend and what the rules are. suerez knew if he didn't put his hand up they would be out.. every player knows when defending you don't raise your arms. the ball came to him directly and he put his hands in front the ball

Very sad that things went the way they did…..

Of course it's cheating! If it is against the rules of the game it's cheating-plain and simple! Players can't use their hands, that's football. Suarez my have gave his team a chance to get to the semis by doing so but the manner in which he do so (i.e. breaking the rules of the game) was disgraceful and unsportsmanlike-two qualities that Suarez continues to reinforce in his own game. Just because there is a punishment for the offense doesn't justify the action. There are many rules in life and just because there are punishments for breaking them that doesn't mean those punishments are always just.

Secondly, this is not war. It's an international competition. But in war there are rules. Human rights rules for example. And in an international competition, while representing you nation on the world stage, and as such a team should conduct itself in a professional and respectful manner. Blatantly breaking rules to potentially win a game is in not definition of sportsmanlike conduct I've ever read.

And Ghana deserved to win! Yes, they missed a penalty (oh, and thanks for the redundant information regarding the distance of a 'penalty' kick) but the would have won if Suarez hadn't blatantly intercepted the ball. He knew we has beat and he did they only thing he knows…cheating.

Damn, I accidentally liked that. Anyways, Uruguay did get punished. Did you fall asleep when the PK was taken? They won DESPITE being punished.

I subscribe Gerardo Cardenas arguments word by word.
I am from Uruguay, and off course I am very happy with the outcome of today´s game result.
People arguing like SKS2010 and many others, crying out loud cheat, are missing the point by the distance that separates Uruguay from Ghana.

It was a fair win, accept it, and live with it.
Unethical is to spit a rival, to break an opponent´s leg, to kick or step over a player lying in the field, just to name a few “dirty” things that could happen in a football match.

What Suarez did was an act of reflex. He had no time to think:
“hmmmm let´s see, would it be ethical to stop this ball, or should I let them score. Oh no, wait. If he scores we are out of the Cup. OK. Made up my mind. Will try to catch it with my hands oooops !! “

C´mon. Get real guys. This is a game, A GAME !!!!

Did you not see all the other faults that the Ghana players did? Like pulling, pushing, kicking, those are against the rules too. Suarez got the red card and the Ghana player hit the penalty kick and missed… If Suarez hadn't gotten the red card and Ghana didn't get the penalty kick then I would understand but Ghana could have scored the penalty kick…

Luis Suarez illegally stopped a ball that otherwise would have won the game for Ghana.

Thats all there is to it. Ghana deserved the win.

ok..in a sport…YOU HAVE NO WRITE TO CHEAT!!! just telling you that… The Federation of the sport has laws and sanctions that will go when sum1 cheats…. wats so complicated..he cheated..and yes knew it..and accepted his punishment…but does that make him a good player? does that mean he did the right thing? NO….He cheated..even if he got caught and received what he deserves for it…ITS STILL CHEATING….

If you pay a GK to let a goal in…He gets caught…and suspended for 2 years….after the 2 years..He still cheated 2 years ago..and the act, even if its under a rule is still cheating!

I'm convinced that 99% of the people pontificating here on Suarez's reaction would have done exactly the same thing in his situation. That includes me.

Also, it's funny how true it is that one kick can change everything. If Gyan hadn't missed that penalty, we wouldn't even be having this debate. That said, props and maximum respect for him for having taken the first shot in the shootout with such aplomb. I feel for him and for Ghana. It's such a cruel way to go out. But that's the game.

And props for both teams for having given us what has probably been the most dramatic match in this World Cup.

His punishment was a penalty kick, which should've been scored, missing PK's after that, which he surely would have taken one and now missing one of the most important games of his career.

His punishment was NOT Uruguay going to the semis. THAT was a result of Ghana failing at the regular time PK and then later at the actual penalty shootouts.

And Luis Suarez received the full penalty for this foul in accordance with the rules of the game of football. Don't forget that part.

he ALREADY scored ! omg ! like theres no denying it, remove the hand and goal goes in, you can't say “to make up for it we'll give you a chance to score” when it should have already counted as a goal, somebody mentioned it before, fair punishment is red card and count the goal. This would cause people to think twice about their “reflexes”

I don't think Suarez has time to calculate. It's just within a few seconds. That's an instinct reaction. Now the spotlight's on Suarez's handball, no one even consier the freekick was a wrong call and there was a clear offside but the referee just let it go!

“he ALREADY scored”

No he didn't. Some dude put his hands in the way. If he had scored, THEN the goal would have counted.

” fair punishment is red card and count the goal.”

That's actually taking fairness away from the game.

Yes. Yes you can say that. Because THOSE ARE THE RULES OF THE GAME. They always have been that and they always will be that. It should NOT have “already counted as a goal” because it did not go in the net.

It was a foul that stopped a goal scoring opportunity and got the appropriate punishment. It's really quite simple.

I think the funniest part of all of this, and something I just noticed right now, is that Fucile is trying the handball move, too. Just that Suarez got to it and Fucile didn't. Hahaha

Yeah, when I was watching the replay at one point, it SEEMED offside to me. I didn't get a good look though because of all the drama. Also, obviously the commentator didn't comment on something as comparatively boring as an offside call when there was so much else going on.

What if they would have done this to your team?
And I dont agree that it was merely reflexes..you see plays like these many times and some go in and others are blocked by the defender or whoever without the use of their hands.
I know the rule is that if it doesn't go in its not a goal..but man its just unfair..i would be so disapointed in my team if they passed to semis with a play like this.. sort of like the French felt when Henry eliminated Ireland with his hand

You can also argue and say ” well its gyan's fault for missing the pk and ghanas own fault for losing the pk shootout” but none of this would have happened if suarez wouldnt haved
used his hands and ghana would have probably won considering the match was basically over after that play..oh well whats done is done i guess

Wow, big fucking news: Not always the team that “deserves” it the most wins it. But the team that gets the job done.

“What if they would have done this to your team?”

Well, I'm a Mexican, so I know all about getting royally screwed…

So am i man..thats why I can relate to Ghana right now haha

it was reflex. if a ball comes at you head level, you wouldn't react with your hands to swat at it? you'd be a liar if you said no.

Oh man they were inches away from winning on two different occasions only minutes apart; it's hard to not feel bad for them.

But this sport is all about heartbreak. If you think about it, only a small percentage of teams ever win. That's just..cruel. But that's the sport. It's playing that really matters. :)

Yeah they were literally inches away on that play werent they haha yeah heartbrake and the mexican national team go hand in hand..

Look at the picture! does it look like its going to hit him in the face? I would duck.. a football player knows that you dont use your hands in a soccer match

he did exactely what he have to do
if urugway gonna to win this world cup then this his handball will be far more important than of maradona handball

I don't see what the big deal is. He was punished and didn't complain to the ref. It was necessary. Now Uruguay is in the Semi's. Suarez should rightfully be a hero in Uruguay.

Weren't the Ghana players offside when this free kick was taken? Anyone agree?

Definetly a “bizzarro-world hero”, as I read on some article elsewhere.

Suarez did what most of us human beings would do and/or what a player with all of his passion put on the game he is competing in and willing to 'take one for the team' would do. I don't think he had the time to make an elaborate desicion, like a commenter wrote before me: “Is this ethycal? Will Ghanyans hate me for doing this? What will happen next?”. He did what was possible within 'hand' reach for him to keep his team and nation alive, even if it was for just a few more minutes, in case the PK would have entered, or wait and hope for a miracle or for luck to make an appearance. Which, in this case, happened. He indeed had his punishment served, as he will not play in the next match, the Ghana team had a penalty kick by their best penalty kicker, nor did he have the chance to participate in the shoot-outs. Where individual soccer punishment is concerned, the dude surely paid his dues.

It would have been different if he didn't get the red card flashed at him. But karma acted in an inmmediate fashion this time, not to be compared with the Thierry Henry handball (which is totally in a different league, given that he did NOT get punished and scored a goal that was taken as valid when it shouldn't have) or the Maradonna so-called 'Hand of God' , which I don't freaking understand why people celebrate this from him, a once-talented player, giving a totally undeserved World Cup to his team, with a handball. Now THAT is cheating and to mix divine with idiotic foul play is just not right. But, karma always hits you square in the face, doesn't matter if it is minutes later, like in Suarez's case, months, like in France's elimination this World Cup, or, in Maradonna's case, in repeated ocassions through his life.

Bottom line, Uruguay had champion's luck today (Or yesterday), and, IMO, they did deserve to win the game. I'm from Mexico, and I don't have a main team to support anymore in this World Cup (Thanks to a lot of idiotic desicions, by our ex-coach, the referee and Osorio and Argentina), so right now my pick is Uruguay and Germany for the finals. I did not like Uruguayans beating my home team in the last group match, but I do appreciate a good team when I see it, and in that game, I got, first, to hate Fucile and Suarez, and then for them to become two of my favorite players in this tournament. And today, I appreciated a nail-biting match, both from Ghana and Uruguay, both teams giving their all in the field, playing with passion and determination, and gifting us one of the best, if not the best until this point, game since the start of the Cup.

Well, you say he will pay his dues, but clearly those dues are not high enough as they did not discourage him from cheating in the first place! If, as you imply, athletes should have no ethics when it comes to winning then the punishments should be stricter for cheating. We already see this in the handling of performance enhancing drugs. The assumption is athletes will do anything to win and so the punishments are quite strict.

And to put this in a different category than Henry or Maradonna is absurd. Those instances took an uncertain goal and replaced it with a certain one, this one took a certain goal and replaced it with an uncertain one. I am sure that Suarez was as clear-headed about what he was doing as either of the other two. The only difference is that goals can be taken away for infringements, but not given.

I think its sad that we expect players to act unethically as a rule, but if that is the case then the punishments must fit the crime.

also its not like suares is the only player it missed, yet he was the only player to use his hands!!! so sayin its a natural reaction is rediculous, and implies the other player it went past isn't human.

He did the right thing; it was the last kick of the game so the only change Uruguay had to still qualify for the semi-finals. If it had prevented England getting to a semi-final, however, I would be absolutely fuming…

If you think that was a reflex you're kidding yourself or just flat out lying. Look at the photo above and as many replays as you can suffer through. Reflex is when hands move to protect your body. That ball is not going to hit him.

What kind of reflex moves Suarez's left and right hands out beyond the right side of his body to stop a ball that's going past him? Suarez knew what he was doing.

That said, it was spotted, the penalty given and Suarez shown red. The result of game was then in Ghana's control. The ref does not take penalty kicks.

It can be a cruel game.

But I do hope Suarez is given a two match ban for this. He will automatically miss the semi-final for the red, but I believe FIFA can review it and upgrade it to two matches. Uruguay are guaranteed two more match (either final if they win the semi, or the 3rd place playoff) so a two match ban means Suarez misses both matches which is the least he deserves. With FIFA running slogans about fair play all over the place it would be farcical if they let him play again.

Also Uruguay are unlikely to win any more matches without Suarez up front as he is one of only two real goal scoring options for Uruguay. So a small bit of comfort can be taking in watching Uruguay get beaten by Holland, and then in the 3rd place playoff.

It is absolute bullshit. He cheated and given the circumstances, should face a ban that extends to more than just the semi final spot. Sure Ghana missed the penalty, but they denied them the chance to score before that. Suarez has a head, a chest, two legs and even an ass…and decides to use the one part of his body that is simply NOT ALLOWED in football! There is no room for cheats in this sport, and if Suarez escapes with just a one-match ban, what kind of message does this send about football?

I find Suarez a disturbing personality and he has insulted my African friends.

it should have been an automatic goal why give the cheating team a second chance soccer is a joke the game has gone backwards ghana should be in the next stage but the team that cheated is through what a dissgrace for a pro sport corrupt

your concept of sport is bullshit theres kids on 20grand a year on afl rookie list,s with more skill and athletic ability than this bloke, who's on the same money a game that have been brought up not to cheat. clean your code up from where im looking its a courrupt game with players with no morals just selfish soft money hungry pricks that play a team game but have no idea what a team is

its fucking cheating whats wrong with you

Where was all this invective when Ghana milked the clock against the U.S.A? That was piss poor sportsmanship as well. Or is that ok because there are no rules against pretending your hurt for 2 minutes until the medics come out to take you off then suddenly you are ok? How about over and over again? Ghana has no room to whine about sportsmanship…

I think rules are created so that flawed human beings are made to respect principles when they lack the resolve to follow them. The red card and the penalty kick is not the price of handballing a goal away, it is the punishment for doing it. Football is meant to be played as if players had no arms, fouls, yellow cards and red cards are not part of the game strategy. Seeing punishment as “the price for committing a crime” is, to me, part of a distorted worldview. I find it absolutely shameful, if I were Uruguayan, I might never again cheer for my national team after this, I would be embarrassed of being from this country that clearly has a strange relationship with ethics, and with their fellow man.

So you are going to call every Uruguayan unethical and say they should be ashamed of themselves because a player in the world cup handed a ball?

Speaking of ethics… is it completely ethical to pretend to be hurt and flop and fall all over to waste last 28 minutes of a match just so the other team doesn't have a chance to equalize?

no, that is not ethical either. But far worse is to do what Suarez did.
Whatever it is, those players represent Uruguay as a nation on the football pitch in front of the world, we all know how that goes.. This is how they chose to represent their nation. Uruguayans can do whatever they want just like Suarez could have done anything he wanted, but I would be ashamed and would go out of my way to show that I disapprove.

Absolutely, it hit the line and could easily have been judged a goal by any referee willing to make focused decisions.

The ball has to be completely over the line. Sucks but you can't change the rules mid-match.

Let's call it a referee “error” in as much he can become a “third” opponent sometimes. I wonder why for example today the ref didn't call back Paraguay's 1st PK attempt since Spain ran 3 players over the line, as he did with Spain's first attempt (?) Something forgotten, something taken? something suspicious.

I agree with Karma001. While there are many instances where players feign injury in an attempt to stall time, the blame goes on Suarez to which he was justly punished–and he knew it. The difference is that players that may feign ignorance, plead unjustly to the referee, or distract him, and other shady tactics marks a very different attempt to DECEIVE the referee, which in principle, is far worse than accepting a red card for a deliberate handball which was in essence, almost instinctive and understandable, albeit illegal. It should be noted that Suarez might even be heroic in the sense that he sacrificed himself, despite the illegality (whereas many many others try to hide it). He commited a foul, sent off, and team Ghana had a chance that was squandered. But the point remains that justice ensued, Ghana had a very likely chance that was lost, Suarez banned from the next game, the price (or punishment) paid, but justice WAS carried out as opposed to the nasty tidbits of players getting away with by deception.

The referee was in the hole match partial to Ghana, Uruguay deserved win.
P.S: The fault at the end of the game, never existed, so that Suarez is hero, that save his country from the injustice.

Just because he was caught does not make it a more ethical decision! Especially because he probably did not intend to get caught. When was the last time you saw a player turn themselves in for a foul? If the ref had missed that handball would he have walked over and told him? Who knows, but if his body language after is any indication (who me?) he probably would not. Would he have been cheating then?

The problem is that Uruguay was rewarded rather than punished for violating the rules. I think it raises two issues. One is that the punishment for a deliberate violation that is the only thing stopping a goal should be an automatic goal. If you handball to score a goal that can be taken away by the ref, it should be the same on the other side. Second is that this will only be possible with increased use of technology in the game.

What one does to prevent a goal? Not in the same league, but this reminds me of an extreme opposite matter: the killing of Andrés Escobar, a catostrophic disgrace, which I have not forgotten.

Andrew is right
FIFA SUCKS!!!. Their rules are just unreasonable.
Their rules endorse the cheater by giving him a free win which is so
unfair for the adversary team who made so much sacrifice in playing so
hard.That goal should count and then a red card. A goal is much more
than a penalty and Luis knew that. It makes nonsense to punish him by a simple penalty. He actually rejoiced!
If you support Luis’s act, you are basically encouraging all the teams
to keep three or more players on the goal line to do handball in such
situations. If this is the case, then we have to redefine soccer—–No more goal in soccer game unless all the players get red cards!!!!!!!!!!

True x 100.

I'm not sure why all the poison. Suarez is hardly the first “last man” to take a red card to save his team. It's almost never a good idea because playing a man down kills you sooner or later, but in this case it was the right decision. Red card + penalty is a perfectly fine punishment for the act, which is proven by the fact that this stuff happens very rarely. There's not a single player in the Ghana team that wouldn't have done the exact same thing if they'd been in his shoes. Not one.

If you want to get mad at cheaters, start with the obvious divers. If you don't know who I'm talking about, Robben's a good place to start. I would have said Cristiano Ronaldo, but thankfully he's back home already.

you're right, if everyone saw it that way, this would be a routine occurrence. If I were a coach I might have a handball specialist, of otherwise no tactical value, to enter the game when we had a 1-goal lead in the last few minutes and he would just act as a second goalkeeper in all set piece situations and his sole purpose would be to get a red card if we need someone to. It is absolutely worth it to get a red card and a penalty kick instead of a decisive last minute goal.
Really, if the referee can disallow a goal when it is scored by hand, by principle he should award a goal when it is stopped by handball. I think of LBW in cricket, when the batsman blocks a bowled ball with his leg and the umpire determines that it was otherwise going to strike the wicket, he awards an LBW and the batsman is out. No reason the same thing shouldn't be done in football. Better yet, it just wouldn't happen, because then Suarez would have had no motivation to reach out with his two hands. There's nothing beautiful or clever about him “sacrificing himself” for his team, he's just sacrificing the Ghanaians really, that's all, nothing cute about that.
The worst thing is to know that the prick will be back for either the 3rd place playoff or the final. The least FIFA could have done was to make sure he doesn't come back.
And another thing, that is not instinctive to handball like Suarez did, he knew exactly what he was doing, it's not normal for anyone that is at all used to playing football, let alone a pro, to handle the ball like that unless you want to.

So you're telling me that if you were a coach you'd save a sub for the last minute on a game where you desperately need to avoid getting scored on just so you could bring in your “handball specialist”? Really? You wouldn't bring in an extra defensive midfielder or defender or whatever else it is your team actually needs with 15 or more minutes to go? And you expect this strategy to work?

“Coach”, when you hear the laughter in the stadium, they're going to be laughing at you, not with you. Just saying.

There are some actual problems with FIFA's rules. This isn't one of them, or at best it's nowhere near a high priority. Fix the diving, and add anything to the goal that would have avoided the Lampard goal travesty, and then MAYBE we can talk about revising the last man rule.

Uruguay was well under pressure for most of the extra time and seemed all too pleased with exchanging a red card for a penalty kick (which is not a punishment, it's a reward for Uruguay, since it was a goal in the first place), and they could have kept Suarez for the semi-final if they'd had someone more expendable man the goal line on that play, perhaps a handball specialist or someone like Felipe Mello. But my point is to highlight the absurdity of it with a bit of license to exaggerate, not to share what I would do if I were a coach.

I don't see how Uruguay was given a “free win.” He was red-carded, and Ghana was awarded a penalty. So Uruguay had to either save the penalty or hope for a miss (which is unfortunately what happened), and then had to survive the shootout.

It wasn't free.

And of course he rejoiced. What player wouldn't rejoice at an opposing team's missed game-winning PK, late in a World Cup knockout stage match?

I don't think we're going to see a scourge of players camping out on the goal line to swat away potential game-winning headers. It's very rare that it would happen as the last action before PKs, and so in the vast majority of cases, doing so would leave a team a man down. …Which is a bad position to be in when trying to catch up, because also a majority of the time, the PK is going to go in.

It sucks for Ghana. I was rooting for them. But the guy knew the situation. Apparently knew that the only chance his team had was for him to swat the ball away. It worked. I'd have done the same thing. I think any other player would have, too.

It's really not a hard call. Get kicked out and serve a 1-game suspension, but give your team a chance, no matter how slim, of advancing vs. let the ball go and have your entire team out of the World Cup for the next four years.

The handball specialist thing is silly. I absolutely agree with you that Suarez knew exactly what he was doing, but I really don't think there's a danger of coaches putting in “handball specialists” for late-game set pieces, because the vast majority of penalty kicks go in. In most cases, you're not only conceding the goal that was going in anyway, but then you're continuing play a man down. If this is exclusively a late-game strategy, then the team using it will most likely be trying to push frantically for an equalizer with only 10 men on the field.

I'm actually OK if FIFA decides to put in a rule that a referee may award a goal (as opposed to the penalty kick) in such a situation, though that could get tricky. The ball Suarez hit was clearly going in, but what about a situation where it's not so clear? But it doesn't matter. The point is that this rule doesn't exist.

So Suarez committed a penalty on purpose because it was the only chance his team had. He broke a rule, he took the punishment prescribed for breaking that rule, and he's exceptionally lucky that it happened to work out for him.

But Suarez's job was to help Uruguay advance. He did that.

Of course it's cheating. People just go back and forth because it's partly cheating on a personal level, because of Suarez' actions, bu also partly on an institutional level, because of poorly thought out rules and punishments (for which of course Suarez cannot bear responsibility, but nevertheless took advantage of and benefitted from, and which Ghana unfairly paid the price for).

Someone mentioned the NBA as a defense of the situation, but the NBA provides the perfect illustration of why the situation is wrong and how it should be changed: interfere in an illegal manner with a shot and it is counted as a score, regardless of whether it was even very clear the shot would have gone in, had you done nothing. This is exactly what FIFA now needs to implement, and arguments about some cases involving the problem of judgment calls are invalid because (1) the current situation produced this ridiculous result, and (2) FIFA has already instituted special punishments for other situations that involve a higher degree of such judgments (such as for clear goal-scoring opportunities).

Good for the sensible NBA. Too bad FIFA hasn't done better for the sport it oversees.

Under the rules of the game as they stand now, Suarez's outrageous hand ball was unfortunately the correct strategic decision. I won't get into the moral/ethical judgment of Suarez here. But it takes away from the beauty and enjoyment of the game itself for everyone, when it is possible for such a crude and ugly act to help a team win a match at a critical moment. If this is how football matches are decided, why be a football fan at all?

Most of the time, the combination of penalty kick plus ejection is enough to make such a hand ball not strategically worthwhile. But near the end of a match and in extra time, as we see, the hand ball is strategically worthwhile. In the interest of the beauty and enjoyment of the game, this should not be the case.

The game of football needs a rules change: after the 75th minute and in extra time, a hand ball or other straight red card offense by a defending player in the box should result in an automatic goal for the attacking team, no penalty kick necessary. Alternatively, and for a measure of poetic justice, have the penalty kick but only allow a non-goalie to stand in goal to stop it, not allowed to use his hands. :-) (I know you're asking, what's the punishment if the penalty kick does hit his hands? Another red card and automatic goal.)

Divers won't really be able to take advantage of this rule, because referees will always have the latitude to award yellow card + penalty kick for any foul that's not an obvious and clear red card. So divers will only be able to get away with what they're already getting away with under the current rules.

I said free win because it was within the last 10 seconds of the game when Luis did his handball. Therefore, they had 0% chance to win that game. However, acording to FIFA rulles, the cheating gave them another 50% chance to win the game. I don't blame the cheater but I blame FIFA leadership.

Rules are made to be broken, and you pay the penalty. A 'professional foul' is not cheating. Suarez didn't try to hide his hand-ball. It seems to me that cheating involves a certain amount of deception, such as a dive. As the laws stands now, Suarez took a chance and got lucky…perhaps he should have been suspended for two games, but it's FIFA's decision. Any other out-come would require a rule change.

Read the damn rules. Handling the ball like Suarez did and being given a red card for it is exactly how the game is meant to function. Complain about the rules if you want, but don't fault Suarez. He played exactly as he should have.

I think a lot of people have trouble telling the difference between fouling and cheating. Fouling is part of the game, there are rules that govern it, and there are punishments in dangerous and/or intentional cases. Cheating is an attempt to circumvent the rules, such as taking a dive to prompt the referee to issue a punishment for a nonexistent foul.

What Suarez did was a foul. It was not cheating. Any player on the pitch can pick up the ball any time they want. They will just get carded for it if the ball is in play. It's really that simple.

Hahaha you can't be serious, can you? Your suggestion makes no sense!

You all seem to forget that the free kick that led to this situation was awarded for a foul that wasn't. It was awarded for blatant diving – i.e. cheating. So Ghana's supporters can't really take a superior moral position

This is the ugliest expeience I ever seen in my life.FIFA should revise the rule.unless how could stop such a delebrate act?the beauty of soccer didn't judged by refrence of fault because not truth.so why FIFA scare of decorating soccer with truth?if such act is continued soccer will become non sense ruleless game.

That's exactly the way it is.

one may argue about how suarez's cheating was the only logical thing to do but then looking at the above photo one wonders why his hands were the the most preferably way to prevent the ball from going in while he clearly was in a position to go for the ball with his head and by the way from the picture its not only one uruguay player who went for the ball with his hands,looks pretty much like part of the uruguayian team training drill and if i may dare ask do the writings which are also supposed to be fifa's moto on the flag that preceeds two competiting nation's flags before kick off mean anything to the school of thought that is advancing this reasoning?. one may also advance a foolish argument as advanced by one of the commentors in the previous comments that ghana should have created more advantage for themselves earlier in the match but then i ask was uruguay sleeping for the period prior to the handball that ghana should stand accused for not seizing the opportunity to score, i think common sense demands that one makes some attempt at thinking to avoid displaying such abundant mediocrity. as a ghanain fan i was and still im very disappointed and bitter with the outcome of that encounter but i also appreciate the fact that we were awarded a penalty which we should have converted but unfortunately dint and take this very painfull loss in a sporting spirit coz i know that ghana and future beloved africa's representatives will have another chance in the future competitions for fate deceit will not always work for those who believe in using every tactic in the book whether legal/fair or not like suarez.bravo ghana and the rest of the african brethren who carried the flag of the african nation. today its ghana tomorrow it will be someone else,hope it wont make breaking news across the world instead it will be just a logical thing for any player to do like is the case now.

These two answers are the ultimate ones.

Your reply is the prefect solution for this outrageous injustice. But as we can see from all the other GREAT calls during the tourneyment, we need electronic help as well…we can only pray the fossils at the top of FIFA will rise from the dead and make the right changes.

If you think Suarez did the right thing, just imagine all players standing at the goal line with intention to prevent a score in just the manner that Suarez did. Will it still be called football? Will That be fair? Where do you draw the line if that act is acceptable? Stop the goal by any means necessary? The punishment for such a deliberate move should be suspending the whole team. That would enforce discipline by all players. Can you imagine as player causing your team to be ejected or suspended? Would he have done that? There is no excuse for Ghana missing the PK and the subsequent ones, but here Uruguay got rewarded for cheating.

Here is what I would have done if I were FIFA…Award a score, red carded the player and award penalty kick to the other team. That way if they miss due to the pressure of the moment, they still have the other score…Kind of like in basketball. Punishment plus move as in checkers.

Diving to deceive is part of the game. That's what makes football entertaining. That's the job of the referee…. If he awards a free kick or PK, it means he saw and believed what happened. If the ref didn't see it and award a FK, that's the referee's fault not the player. If the ref believes the player is trying to deceive him, Yellow or Red Card the player..plain and simple. When that happens, it also enforces discipline among players. You get punished for deception.

Ghana got punished for Suarez's actions, not rewarded. That ball was 100 % a score. That was taken away and they were offered a 50/50 chance to score. Uruguay should be ashamed. I know in their hearts they are not satisfied with such a win..it's a win but you know inside how you got it…stealing

Right on. He got exactly what he had coming to him given the rules. I say it was one of the most important decisions he ever made or ever will make in playing.

Exactly – this was not cheating. This was a conscience decision Suarez made to foul and accept the consequences.

From where I sat – it looked like the ONLY decision he had.

♥ you Suarez you have become my hero go Uruguay