Luis Suarez has refused to apologise for his infamous hanball  at the 2010 World Cup  with Uruguay and Ghana set to lock horns for the first time since that fateful day tomorrow.

Speaking at a press conference in Doha on Thursday, Suarez  cheekily suggested that it wasn’t his fault Ghana were eliminated, given that Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting spot-kick, and hit out at claims that the Ghanaian people view him as ‘the Devil’.

“The first time, I don’t apologise about that. I take the handball, but the Ghana player missed the penalty, not me,” Suarez, now 35 and playing for Uruguayan outfit Nacional, told reporters.

“Maybe I apologise if I injure a player but in this situation, I take a red card, the ref say penalty, it’s not my fault.The player should apologise he failed to score ” He added: “It’s 12 years ago. It’s the past. I’ve played against [Giorgio] Chiellini too, and we shook hands.”

Suarez produced one of the most controversial moments in World Cup history by palming what would have been a match-winning header off the line with seconds remaining in Uruguay’s quarter-final clash with Ghana.

He was sent off, but when Gyan crashed his spot-kick against the bar, the game went to penalties, with Uruguay eventually triumphing – confirming Suarez as football’s biggest pantomime villain, especially after footage of him giddily celebrating Gyan’s miss from the touchline went viral.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com