Forlan defends Suárez’s handball in crucial World Cup game

KOLKATA - Uruguyan star striker Diego Forlan Saturday defended his teammate Luis Alberto Suárez’s handling the ball on the goal line during extra time of the quarter-final match against Ghana, saying it had saved the day for Uruguay and carried them to the World Cup semi final.

“In football you always try to save goals. They (Ghana) had a chance to score. He (Suárez) was on the line and saved it by getting the ball away with his hand. Football has his rules. And as per rules he was red-carded.

“But he saved the game for us, and we qualified for the semi final. We are happy for him,” Forlan, the golden ball winner as the best player of the World Cup, told media persons here.

By handling the ball on the line in the last minute of extra-time, Suárez prevented a Ghanaian goal that would have led to the Africans winning the game and entering the last four.

The Uruguayan was given marching orders and Ghana awarded a penalty. However, the spot kick was missed by Asamoah Gyan and Uruguay went on to win 4-2 in the shootout and progressed to the semi-final.

On his free kick hitting the post in the play-off against Germany, Forlan said he had aimed to keep the ball just below as the Germans were tall. “But when I took the shot I saw the ball hit the post and go away. And that was it. And that’s a part of the game”.

Forlan confessed that he had no idea about Indian soccer. “I know it’s a cricket country”.

Asked why he took to cricket and not his other favourite sport tennis, the 31 year old player said: “I wanted to play tennis as a youngster. As a 15-year-old I was playing both tennis and football. Then I decided to go for football”.

Forlan acknowledged Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona’s contribution in helping his sister who was paralysed after a car accident.

In 1997, Maradona had participated in a charity match for raising funds for her treatment. “It was nice of him. We are not in touch now. However, I shook his hand during the World Cup”.

Forlan said Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson’s brother had contacted him after his sparkling World Cup show to turn out for the English club. “But I have a three-year contract with Spanish club Atletico Madrid. I want to complete that first”.

About his difficult days with Manchester United between 2002 and 2004, Forlan said “It was a big difference going from Argentina (where he turned out for Independiente from 1998 to 2002,) to England. I had all the best players as teammates. It was tough.

“I was mostly on the bench. So I had a talk with the manager and told him I wanted to leave.For Atletico Madrid I got to play for full 90 minutes. And I did well”.

Forlan said he was not bothered with whether he has got recognition for his talent late or not. “Does not matter when it (recognition) comes. I never thought about it. I was enjoying the game for my team”.

Forlan did not agree with a questioner that Uruguay had dearth of talent in recent times. “There are a lot of very good players. There are good players training in Brazil, Mexico, Europe. We are only a country of 30 million people. And India is a country of more than one billion people. But we have done well”.

Forlan is here to take part in a soccer reality show “The Match” organised by a Bengali entertainment channel Mahuaa Bangla.