New York Mayor-elect Zohran Kwame Mamdani has revealed that he cried when Luis Suarez stopped a Ghana goal-bound header against Uruguay at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The quarter-final match was tied 1-1 as the clock wound down in the 120th minute of extra time. Ghana, the last remaining African team in the first Mundial hosted on African soil, launched a final attack.
A scramble in front of the goal saw the ball heading toward the net after a header by Dominic Adiyiah. In a desperate, split-second decision, Suarez slapped the ball away with both hands on the goal line, an action usually reserved for a goalkeeper.
The incident denied the Black Stars from making history as the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-final after Asamoah Gyan missed the resultant penalty, and Ghana losing the penalty shootout.
Mamdani, who was in attendance at the raucous FNB Stadium, told The Adams Friedland Show: “I was at the Ghana-Uruguay game. That’s where I cried in public. Yeah, Luis Suarez [sighed],” adding, “It was the closest…” before being cut short.
Host Adam exclaimed, “Asamoah Gyan. Dude, I can’t… Guys, this is like… The mayor caring about soccer is… The mayor caring about Arsenal is like Wakanda for me.”
Mamdani has a personal connection to Ghana. Born in Uganda to Indian parents, he was given the middle name Kwame by his father in honor of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president.
He lived in Kampala until age five before moving to Cape Town, South Africa, when his father was appointed head of African studies at the University of Cape Town. The family later settled in New York City when Mamdani was seven.
He was elected New York mayor on November 4, 2025.
