Uruguay National Football Team Players Reach Miami After Flight Delay
Uruguay national football team players reached Miami several hours late after a flight from Cancún was cancelled, then delayed again because of paperwork problems tied to the plane. The disruption came on the eve of their opening World Cup match against Saudi Arabia.
Giménez Rested At The Hotel
José María Giménez described the trip as difficult and said Uruguay took advantage of the delay by resting at the hotel. The captain said, “We had some complications,” and added, “It was difficult, but we took advantage by resting at the hotel.”
The squad had been due to fly from Cancún to Fort Lauderdale early on Sunday afternoon after training in Playa del Carmen earlier in the day. A second plane was arranged after the first cancellation, but that flight was delayed too, pushing Uruguay’s arrival at Miami Stadium for the pre-match press conference back by several hours.
AUF Sets 4.15pm Departure
The AUF said the departure from Mexico had been delayed because of problems beyond its control and that Fifa set a new departure time of 4.15pm. Officials also posted a message on X that had first been sent by Diego Forlán in 2010: “Who is to blame???” and “Arriba Uruguay!!”
Marcelo Bielsa brushed off the disruption, saying, “The flight caused no problems,” even though Uruguay had been based in Playa del Carmen for a two-week training camp and had spent one week in Mexico before the trip to South Florida. Bielsa is leading Uruguay at a World Cup for the first time, after previously taking charge of Argentina at the 2002 tournament and Chile eight years later.
Bielsa Starts World Cup Run
The delay landed in a stretch when Uruguay had not played since March, when it drew against England and Algeria. Bielsa also arrived at this tournament after facing calls to resign last November, when Uruguay lost 5-1 to the United States in a friendly.
For Uruguay, the immediate task is simple: settle after the travel mess and turn to Saudi Arabia without adding another problem to a buildup that already lost time on the road. The squad at least got a hotel reset before the opener, and that proved useful once the second plane slipped too.
