Uruguay v Holland: Handball was instinct not cheating insists Tabarez

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez insisted his side will feel no embarrassment when they line up against Holland at the Green Point stadium tonight.

Tabarez maintains that Luis Suarez did not cheat when he handled the ball on the line to deprive Ghana of a quarter-final winner in the last seconds of extra time, the Ajax striker then celebrating on the touchline when Asamoah Gyan missed the resulting penalty.

Suarez, who likened the handball to Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England in 1986, is suspended from the semi-final.

Tabarez was clearly angry at the questioning of Suarez and said: "I'm embarrassed by what has been asked. That is shameful.

"It was an instinctive act. Suarez couldn't foresee what happened afterwards, that Ghana would miss the penalty. Don't talk to me about a lack of modesty.

"We are very proud and we're upset with this topic. We're proud of our performances and what we've contributed to the development of football at this World Cup.

"Uruguay went through almost three matches without a yellow card at all, so please don't tell me we're cheats."

It was a feisty final press conference as Tabarez refused to give an update on injured Diego Lugano or to name his starting XI as he had promised, claiming the Uruguayan press had been spying on his training sessions.

"Some journalists are playing as war correspondents," Tabarez said.

Tabarez was prepared to talk about a Holland side who have reached the semi-final after winning all eight of their qualifying matches plus five games in South Africa, including knocking out Brazil 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

He spotlighted Arjen Robben as their biggest danger and denied that he was a diver.

"He's a great footballer," Tabarez said. "He's very fast, very nimble, very long strides. When he shifts his body it's difficult to react.

"With Robben back, this Holland side benefits greatly. They were already very good without him, but now they have him contributing as well.

"Like any footballer who is hit on the pitch, well, I wouldn't say he is a cheat. These are things that happen in football. It's up to the referee to determine the players' intentions."

Uruguay have won the World Cup twice, back in 1930 at the inaugural event and in 1950.

Tabarez admits they have not played brilliantly at this World Cup but still dreams of Uruguay returning to former glories, even if they are hampered by the attraction of Europe's money-laden leagues.

"We have a long way to go," he said. "The world nowadays is very different to that in the first half of the 20th century, when Uruguay hardly lost a match.

"The gap is widening more and more between the first and the third world. There is increasing independence of players going to Europe to earn their trade and that weakens our football.

"It would be a dream to become a footballing power again, but the world hasn't changed because we've won a few matches.

"We're just trying to adapt as best we can to try and find some factors that might help us bridge the organisational and economic gap between us and the other three nations in the semis."

Tabarez believes Uruguay can create an upset and reach Sunday's final against either Germany or Spain.

He added: "We're here for a reason. People started sending us their condolences when the draw was made. We rebelled against that.

"We began to dream and now we have an opportunity to make our dream come true. World Cups are full of results that no one really expects.

"I don't see why it should be so surprising that one of our dreams comes true.

"We'll go out there with enormous faith and do everything it takes to win. We don't throw the towel in before playing.

"We'll have to play a perfect match, but that's also possible."