Uruguay National Football Team Delayed Several Hours Before Saudi Arabia Match
The Uruguay national football team reached Miami Stadium several hours late after its flight from Mexico was cancelled and then delayed again before its opening World Cup game against Saudi Arabia. The disruption came after a paperwork problem with the plane and left the squad’s pre-match schedule compressed on a day it had already trained in Playa del Carmen.
José María Giménez on the delay
Captain José María Giménez called the situation “difficult” and said, “We had some complications.” He added, “It was difficult, but we took advantage by resting at the hotel. And we just got here later.”
The first flight from Cancún to Fort Lauderdale was cancelled because of paperwork issues relating to the plane, and a second aircraft commissioned to take Uruguay to South Florida was also delayed. The AUF said the departure from Mexico had been held up by problems beyond its control and set a new departure time of 4.15pm.
Marcelo Bielsa and the schedule
Marcelo Bielsa said, “The flight caused no problems.” His squad had spent the day in training at Playa del Carmen before heading to Cancún international airport, then wound up arriving late for the pre-match press conference at Miami Stadium.
Uruguay’s trip also sat inside a wider tournament logistics problem. The World Cup was being staged in three separate countries for the first time, and other teams were already dealing with travel and visa issues of their own.
World Cup travel problems
Iran had been unable to obtain visas for many members of their backroom team to enter the United States from their training camp in Mexico. Thomas Partey was denied a visa by the Canadian government after his arrest on rape charges in the United Kingdom, and that ruling will keep him out of Ghana’s opening game against Panama in Toronto.
Uruguay’s delay left the team dealing with a late arrival on the eve of its opening match, with the only immediate relief coming from a hotel rest stop before the group finally made it to Miami Stadium. The late departure added one more layer to a tournament already defined by travel friction across the host countries.
