Uruguay star Luis Suarez hinted he would have no issue
with repeating his infamous deliberate handball if required against England.
Suarez played no part in Uruguay's shock 3-1 FIFA World
Cup defeat to Costa Rica on Saturday, which came just hours before Italy beat
England 2-1 in Group D's other fixture.
Early defeats means the stakes have risen for both sides
ahead of Thursday's clash in Sao Paulo and Suarez suggested he would have no
problem with being the villain again – as long as it benefited his team-mates.
The striker stopped Ghana from being the first African
side to reach the World Cup semi-finals with a deliberate handball in the last
minute of extra time in 2010, to deny Dominic Adiyiah a dramatic winner.
Suarez was sent off as a result, but Asamoah Gyan hit the
bar from the resulting penalty, before Uruguay won a dramatic penalty
shoot-out.
When asked to reflect on the incident, an unrepentant
Suarez said: "For me I didn't do anything wrong.
"I sacrificed playing in a World Cup semi-final for
my team-mates to have that chance.
"I didn't injure anyone. It's not something to feel
bad about."
Despite those comments, Suarez also declared his desire
to shed himself of the "bad boy" tag he has carried in recent years.
The Liverpool man – who bagged an impressive 31 goals in
33 Premier League appearances last term – said hearing people criticise him has
felt "awful" but insisted he has changed.
"I want to change the bad boy image that has stuck a
bit because I don't think I am at all how I am portrayed," he added.
"It's awful to hear and read what is said of you.
"I still fight for every ball, want to win every
game and get upset when I lose. On the field sometimes passion overwhelms you
and you do things you regret afterwards.
"But you have a chance to learn from these things.
"I think I have been a role model since last summer.
I have been professional and I have this desire to forge ahead and play well,
regardless of what is said to me."
Culled from Soccerway
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