Uruguay’s preparations for their opening World Cup game against Saudi Arabia were severely disrupted after their flight from Mexico was hit by multiple delays.
Marcelo Bielsa’s squad had been due to fly from Cancún to Fort Lauderdale early on Sunday afternoon, but paperwork issues relating to the plane led to their initial flight being cancelled.
A second plane was then commissioned to take Uruguay to South Florida, but that flight was also delayed and they eventually arrived for the pre-match press conference at Miami Stadium several hours late.
An unusually taciturn Bielsa played down the impact of the delay on his players, who undertook most of their preparations at a two-week training camp in Montevideo before spending the last week in Mexico. “The flight caused no problems,” Bielsa said.
The Uruguay captain, José María Giménez, was more frank in describing the delays as “difficult”, while others at the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) were less diplomatic.
“We had some complications,” the Atlético Madrid defender said. “It was difficult, but we took advantage by resting at the hotel. And we just got here later.”
The delays were caused by the paperwork required to begin the flight not being ready by the scheduled time of take-off. Asked if Fifa was ultimately responsible for the delays, an AUF spokesperson agreed.
In a statement released after the first delay, the AUF said: “Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by Fifa is 4.15pm.”
AUF officials later emphasised their unhappiness by posting a message on their X account originally sent by the former Uruguay striker Diego Forlán’s in 2010, in which he bemoaned the fact that the national team’s charter flight had been delayed an hour one day before their first World Cup game in South Africa. “Who is to blame???” Forlán wrote, followed by “Arriba Uruguay!!”
Uruguay’s travel chaos is the latest example of the issues caused by Fifa’s decision to stage the World Cup in three separate countries for the first time, which has caused problems for several competing teams.
Iran have been unable to obtain visas for many of their backroom team to enter the United States from their training camp in Mexico, while Ghana midfield player Thomas Partey was denied a visa by the Canadian government due to his arrest on rape charges in the United Kingdom, which will prevent him playing in their opening game against Panama in Toronto.
Uruguay have been based in the Mexican coastal resort of Playa del Carmen for their World Cup buildup where they trained earlier in the day before heading to Cancún international airport, where their problems began.
Bielsa is leading Uruguay at a World Cup for the first time having previously taken charge of his native Argentina in 2002 and Chile eight years later, but despite his vast experience the coach’s three-year reign has not run smoothly.
The 70-year-old was facing calls to resign last November following a humiliating 5-1 friendly defeat to the United States, which led him to publicly question the attitude of his players, but he refused to quit.
Two draws against England and Algeria calmed nerves in March, but Uruguay have not played since, with Bielsa taking the unusual decision not to sanction any pre-tournament friendlies.
Uruguay will have the considerable support of about 10,000 fans in the US, many of whom have been highly visible in Miami over the past few days, with most of their hopes pinned on talismanic midfielder Federico Valverde. The Real Madrid captain endured a difficult club season, but for Uruguay he is likely to be pivotal.
“From the moment he became a part of our team the influence of his game was seen,” Bielsa said. “He is so resourceful. The way he helps us play is no secret. We try to have possession of the ball, we try to go forward, we try to attack. We are facing a good team who will not be easy opponents.”
Saudi Arabia have also endured a troubled buildup to the tournament, although not in the last 24 hours, and remarkably their manager, George Donis, will be leading the team for the first time in a competitive match on Monday.
The former Greece international, who spent four years in England with Blackburn, Huddersfield and Sheffield United at the end of a playing career largely spent at Panathinaikos, was parachuted into the job in April after the sudden dismissal of Frenchman Hervé Renard, who led Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup that began with their victory over eventual champions Argentina.
Donis has coached at four Saudi Pro League clubs so knows the players well, which seems to be why he got the job, and his priority will be to avoid embarrassment in a group that also includes Spain and Cape Verde.
Representatives of the Saudi Football Federation are here in force as they look ahead to hosting the tournament in 2034, and while Mohammed bin Salman is not believed to have travelled after attending matches at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, the crown prince is likely to be monitoring matches closely.
Saudi Arabia have not kept a clean sheet for eight games however, and scored only seven goals in their 10 qualifying matches, with Donis making no attempt to hide the scale of his challenge.
“I feel our group is one of the toughest of the World Cup,” he said. “I’ve been training the team for 12 sessions in total. “The days were not enough, and everything happened so fast. “There’s a disadvantage in place. It’s not been long since we started training together, but the players have shown I can trust them. I believe in them and believe we will be very competitive. Regardless of what will happen in this tournament I’m building a team that will deliver success. I’m looking at the trees, not the forest.”
Rather than the shock victory over Argentina, which was followed by defeats to Poland and Mexico and elimination at the group stage, Donis wants his players to seek inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s last tournament in the United States at the 1994 World Cup, when victories over Belgium and Morocco took them into the last 16 for the first and only time.
“I’m very grateful to Saudi Arabia and consider it my second home,” he said. “Given I’ve been in Saudi Arabia for many years I’m aware of the history of football there. The best moment is undoubtedly when we made it to the round of 16, beating Belgium and Morocco.
“It’s important the players draw inspiration from this achievement. The victory over Argentina shows that the current generation have drawn inspiration from the past, and we want to do the same.”
