Sports News of Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Stephen Appiah was offside before Suarez handball - Referee analyst

A fresh debate has emerged over one of the most painful moments in Ghana football history after referee analyst Victor claimed Stephen Appiah was actually offside moments before Luis Suarez’s infamous handball during the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarter-final between Ghana and Uruguay.

Victor, who runs Referee’s Channel and has more than 12 years of experience as an active referee and instructor, went into detail while reviewing the chaotic final seconds of extra time in the dramatic clash at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

According to his analysis, the controversial handball sequence should never have reached the point where Suarez handled the ball on the line because Appiah had already committed an offside offence earlier in the move.

“Before the handball offense, the ball came from a free kick. When the ball was headed to number 10, he was in a clear offside position,” Victor explained during the breakdown.

Watch highlights of the opening ceremony of African Senior Athletics Championship

He further insisted the decision was a major miss from the officiating team.

“He was 100% offside here before Suarez’s handball offense, and this was missed by the referees,” he said.

Victor argued that had the offside been spotted immediately, the game would have restarted with an indirect free kick to Uruguay, eliminating the dramatic handball incident entirely.

“Had he spotted this offside offense, Suarez would never have been sent off. So this was an incorrect decision in this match,” he added.

The moment remains one of the most controversial incidents in World Cup history, with Suarez sent off after deliberately blocking Dominic Adiyiah’s goal-bound header with his hands before Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty in the final seconds of extra time.

Watch the video below:



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Meanwhile, watch highlights from the opening ceremony of the 2026 African Senior Athletics Championship