Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez received a playful text from Holland goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg nominating him for the World Cup’s best goalkeeper award, Sky Sports reported Monday.
Suarez has been ruled out of Uruguay’s semi-final clash against the Netherlands in Cape Town on Tuesday following his intentional handball in the final seconds of extra-time against Ghana which prevented the Africans advancing to the final four.
The striker’s offence has come under fire, with some critics suggesting FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, should introduce a rule change that would allow for a ‘penalty goal’ in much the same manner as a try is still awarded in rugby if a deliberate attempt is made to stop one that would definitely have been scored.
Suarez’s Ajax team-mate Stekelenburg has taken a more light-hearted view of the incident, using it as an opportunity to poke fun at the prolific forward.
“I sent him a text message saying that he has been the best goalkeeper of the tournament,” Stekelenburg told De Telegraaf.
Stekelenburg has acknowledged that the absence of his Ajax colleague strengthens Holland’s chances of reaching their first World Cup final since 1978.
“The important matter is that he cannot play,” he added. “It is a big thing because he is always a threat.”
(This article is provided by NewsCore, which aggregates news from around News Corporation.)
