New York Mayor-elect Zohran Kwame Mamdani has shared how Ghana’s heartbreaking exit from the 2010 World Cup moved him to tears in public.
Speaking on The Adams Friedland Show, Mamdani recounted being inside Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium on that dramatic night when Luis Suárez’s infamous handball denied Ghana a historic place in the semifinals.
With the match tied 1-1 in the final seconds of extra time, Dominic Adiyah’s header seemed destined for the net until Suárez blocked it with both hands on the goal line.
Ghana were given a last-minute penalty, but Asamoah Gyan’s effort hit the crossbar. The Black Stars ultimately lost 4-2 in the shootout, ending Africa’s hopes of its first-ever World Cup semifinal appearance.
Mamdani recalled the moment with emotion: “I was at the Ghana-Uruguay game. That’s where I cried in public. Yeah, Luis Suárez [sighed],” he said. “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.”
The incoming mayor’s connection to Ghana runs deep. Born in Uganda to Indian parents, he was given the name Kwame in tribute to Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Mamdani spent his early childhood in Kampala before moving to Cape Town, where his father headed African Studies at the University of Cape Town. His family later relocated to New York when he was seven.
Mamdani was elected Mayor of New York on November 4, 2025.
