Battlefield causalities — and casualties
By Ben Knight
As much as I despise cheating, the Luis Suarez last-second handball that saved Uruguay’s World Cup bacon against Ghana is a leopard of a very different spot.
It was a moment of absolute blind panic – both ways. Ghana were desperate to cash in a goal, and avoid the nightmare of penalty kicks in their hugely dramatic bid to be the first African nation ever to qualify for the World Cup’s final four. Uruguay were in defensive tatters, their goalie out of the play, the ball rocketing for the back of their net.
In war, this is an instantaneous, fatal decision. By reaching out his arm to block the ball, Suarez essentially threw his body over a hand grenade to give his platoon mates a chance to live through the night. He was instantly red-carded – and suspended, and his teammates still had to stand around and watch the imminent nightmare of Asamoah Gyan’s penalty kick.
Nothing instantaneous about this. Masses of people who were actually watching the game missed Suarez’s suicidal second. Glanced away, looking for the popcorn, opening a beer, letting your best friend in the door because he picked that fated moment to arrive (that’s what happened to me, at least).
But there’s no such mercy on a penalty kick at 120 minutes of extra time. Last kick of the game. Striker should connect at along about a ninety-per-cent kill rate. Everyone rushes to the screen to see it. The viewing audience grows hugely in the minute or so it takes to sort out the pre-kick niceties. What do you bet two-thirds of the entire nation of Ghana was watching by the time Gyan addressed the ball?
I wonder – now – how it might possibly feel to have the entire weight of your home nation dropped on you from a great height? All Gyan had to do was burn one ball past one very small and inexperienced netminder, and the biggest soccer street party in the history of coastal West Africa would have instantaneously ignited.
The military mission was clear. Gyan had been chosen to summarily execute the impudent Suarez – and all his South American squadron mates besides. The futility of the Uruguayan target man’s sacrifice was about to be made plain. Justice – by anybody’s measure – was about to be done.
(Yes, yes, I know this all goes out the window if Ghana was as offside as a large number of still photos all over the internet suggest. That’s another metaphor for another time. Today, we field the call that was actually made.)
I have written, more than occasionally, that penalty kicks are psychologically sadistic. Not for the goalies. They know damn well they’re supposed to lose. The only thing that can statistically go wrong on a spot kick is if the ball stays out of the net. And that’s so rare – on any normal day in any normal park – it doesn’t bear thinking about.
Ah, but Gyan was thinking about it. It was burning in his desperate eyes. All that endless time that passes as the call is made and Suarez is red-carded and the ball is put on the spot and Suarez slowly wanders to the sideline and everyone in Ghana who is watching the game shouts, screams, urges and summons everyone in Ghana who isn’t watching the game to hurry hurry right this minute get over here and watch this game!!!
For all of that emotional eternity, Asamoah Gyan stood alone.
It’s not a time you want to think. Not helpful to know what’s at stake – and certainly corrosive to the cranium to even slightly ponder at the aching implications … of a miss. Kill that thought. Banish it. But now you think about NOT thinking about missing.
And the problem is so simple. Get that ball away from the goalie, and safely into the net. He’s not even a big goalie. Just under the bar should do it. Just under … just under … maybe just a titch more lift to be certain ….
And just like that, Asamoah Gyan hits the crossbar. Uruguay is alive through deception, but have survived their penalty, and the rules are clear.
For now, it really doesn’t matter that Ghana lost the subsequent shootout, and that two quite different Ghanaians other than Gyan missed their shots, and that’s why Ghana really lost. History will never remember that.
One man had one almost-certain shot to lift his nation higher than anyone on their entire continent had ever climbed. And the shot – with no interference whatsoever from the opposing goalie – never made it to the net.
How do you live with something like that? How will that ever, ever go away? All of Gyan’s inspired, often brilliant play, the lifetime of physical punishment it took to even bet there in the first place, the certain knowledge that nine times out of ten he becomes his country’s Paul Henderson if that cursed ball had settled in the twine.
Too much, folks. Too much.
Things like this happen in war. My grandfather met my grandmother when he returned from World War I with the news that her fiancée had been killed in action – after the armistice was signed. If that pointless, extra-time tragedy doesn’t happen, I’m not here to tell this tale.
If Suarez doesn’t cheat, Gyan never gets a chance to be the hero. Nor does he get to be the scapegoat.
As a wrenching piece of human drama, the whole damn couple of minutes were astonishing. But this was war, and there were casualties.
My hatred of cheating is reserved for those who were neither caught, nor punished. You know who you are, Diego, and I thoroughly enjoyed what happened to you this weekend.
Suarez was caught, and punishment was swift. The bitter battlefield tragedy is that Asamoah Gyan will never be free of the memory.
Onward!
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July 6th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Ben, I think this issue has been largely overhyped (like all things FIFA, to be honest).
I don’t blame him for reacting the way he did, though replays do seem to show that he had the opportunity to simply head the ball away instead. Both Suarez and his coach have brought this firestorm of criticism on themselves not so much for the initial act, it seems, but for their unrepentant ‘celebration’ of the act (which some have incorrectly interpreted to be ‘cheating’).
No, it was not ‘cheating’ in the Maradona sense, nor even in the Swan dive sense (who’s advocates are now so numerous that there simply isn’t space to list them all). But it is contrary to both the rules and spirit of the game, I would agree. Suarez has been punished and I consider that part of the incident closed. Less laudable, though, are the “Hand of God” comments coming from his camp.
Perhaps this is an “us against the world” moment that his coach (and he) are trying to exploit as a motivational tool. Whatever. I suspect Holland will today apply the punishment some fans seem to be demanding of FIFA - sending the Uruguayans home for another four years. Perhaps this will not be “true justice” to some, but it is as close as football can get.
July 6th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Another unfortunate aspect of the whole thing is that Ghana deserved to win. They played well and were all over Uruguay toward the end (not just the last few seconds). In a fair world they would have won in regulation.
Not quite a France-Ireland situation but we’ll have to see what Uruguay’s soccer future ends up looking like.
July 7th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
As is the case with the “real” world, punishment for a crime (remember footy does not have rules, but it does have Laws Of The Game) has been awarded and the punishment is currently being served by the miscreant.
End of story.
Having said that, the manner in which Suarez was celebrated as being a “hero” did leave a bad taste in the mouth. A bit more humility was called for and it is too bad that Suarez and Uruguay’s Manager could not have acted in a more diplomatic fashion.
July 8th, 2010 at 9:04 am
From a Latin American a say to all of you - I forgot that Europeans never cheat and never do anything wrong - the rest of us third world people never learned from our conquerors how to be hypocrites.. I am sorry I ment to say diplomatic.
Thank God for Diego Maradona and the rest of Latin American futbol, otherwise football would never have become the worlds most popular game. Lets not forget it all began in Uruguay. They wanted to make it to the final just like everyone else. Suarez knew what he was doing. Players foul their opponents intentionally regularly in professional and international football knowing they will be punished with yellows, reds, and even penalties.
The anology of a soldier throwing himself on the grenade is very apt. How you judge the act depends on the beholder.
Kamikaze pilots were judged by their enemies as fanatical brainwashed lunatics, but they were certainly heros to the Japanese and their behaviour made perfect sence within their culture (particularly in the context of war).
“Cheating” is a shallow word easily used to pass judgment. “Judge not, lest ye be judged”.
July 8th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
Cyd: The game was popular long before Maradona. It will be popular long after him.
What all began in Uruguay? Football? Or the World Cup?
Not sure why you feel “all Latin Americans” are being attacked. The comments are directed at Suarez (the guilty party) only. Pretty much everyone commenting in every forum that I’ve read have agreed that this handball was not significantly different from other professional fouls often committed in the course of a game. The result seems more dramatic, but in truth Ghana had many chances to win the game and failed. It is simply a disappointment to many that the game (at least normal play) ended with this type of foul.
Would you rather have a game end on a last second goal or a penalty kick? As a fan, I’d rather have the goal.
July 9th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
As is usually the case, those who protest the loudest often have something to hide. So, are you feeling just a wee bit guilty? ‘Cus your counter-argument sure does sound highly defensive.
And, like John, I too would like to hear your theory on how it all started in Uruguay and why S. America is responsible for showcasing the game to the world. I suspect a few million Italians, Germans, French and even a few Brits might take exception to that.
This WC represents the 19th that will have been held, and with an all Euro final on Sunday it means Europe has won/will have won 10 of them. An argument might be made that Europe has showcased the game just as effectively as have the proud representatives from South America.
July 10th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
If Suarez had handled the ball with ten minutes to go in the game it wouldn’t be being discussed ad nauseum. He simply threw his hands up to prevent the ball going in the net (with seconds left in the game). End of story.
Whether or not he had time to figure out if he could get his head to the ball instead, or figure that his team would be shorthanded after his inevitable red card……not relevant. He just reacted.
He did it. The rules say he gets a red and the opponent gets to take a PK. The penalty taker USUALLY scores and on we go. Gyan missed. Suarez’s actions turned out to be a deciding factor in the game, but he didn’t think of all that when his hands flew up.
Suarez is neither hero nor villian IMHO, he just did what comes naturally. What would the alternative had been? “Geez, if I touch the ball with my hands I’ll get a red card, we’ll have to finish the game with 10 men, they’ll get the PK….and likely score! And we’ll be out!”. Naww!
Broadway.
July 31st, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Great blog! much appreciated.
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