Luis Suarez claims his World Cup handball “could have happened to anyone” as he prepares to face three Ghana players when Liverpool visit Sunderland on Sunday.
Speaking exclusively to Goal.com UK, Suarez revealed he has no intention of mentioning the incident when he comes up against Sulley Muntari, Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah at the Stadium of Light.
The Uruguay striker controversially handled the ball on the goalline in the quarter-final of the tournament in South Africa to deny Ghana a dramatic late winner.
Suarez was sent off for the offence but Gyan missed the resulting penalty before Uruguay won the shootout to claim a place in the semi-finals.
Suarez, 24, insists any player would have done the same in his position and says he feels more guilty about biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax in November, for which he was banned for seven matches by the Dutch Football Federation.
“What happened at the World Cup could have happened to anyone and it’s something I want to leave behind me,” Suarez told Goal.com UK.
“I feel much worse about the bite. The worst thing that can happen is to hurt someone else and I have apologised for what happened in Holland. It’s something I do regret but it’s in the past, it’s one of those things.
“I won’t say anything to Gyan. For me, he is just another player. Maybe it’s still a big problem for others, but as far as I’m concerned it must stay in the past.
“I’m not playing against one or two people. I’m playing against the Sunderland team as a whole. For me, what’s important is the result of the match. All I want is to win for Liverpool.”
Suarez, who signed for Liverpool in a £22.8 million deal in January, admits that he has been working on controlling his emotions as he adapts to his new life in England.
Source: Ghanasoccernet.com