Uruguay exited the World Cup meekly after the group stage, and the team’s exit from North America reportedly didn’t go according to plan either.
The Uruguayan soccer federation canceled the squad’s scheduled charter flight from the team’s training base in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to the home capital city of Montevideo, according to multiple reports in the Uruguayan media. Instead, the players were left to take commercial flights home.
Ranked No. 16 by FIFA ahead of the World Cup, Uruguay were the top-rated team among those that failed to advance to the round of 32.
La Celeste had to rally for a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in the Group H opener, then squandered a second-half lead in a 2-2 tie against World Cup newcomer Cape Verde. In the group finale, a goalkeeping mistake saw Uruguay lose 1-0 to Spain on Friday.
Uruguay captain Jose Maria Gimenez, who remained on the bench for all three matches, said per Uruguayan broadcast company Tenfield, “The pain is immense. The feeling is one of profound sadness. The reality we have to face is incredibly difficult. We apologize to the Uruguayan people. It wasn’t what we all expected, but football is like this, and we have to accept it.”
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said following the loss to Spain, “Look, what I’m leaving for Uruguayan football is nothing. Because any kind of contribution … what can a coach do for the football of a country where he worked for three years?
“He never settles in if he doesn’t get results. And fourth place in the qualifiers meant nothing, third place in the Copa America meant nothing, and obviously this performance. … I don’t need to define it, so if you ask me how my time will be remembered, it’s with a step that left nothing behind.”
Reporting from GiveMeSport suggested Bielsa’s squad revolted ahead of the Spain contest, and Bielsa had a testy exchange with the media following the loss.
–Field Level Media
