Marcelo Bielsa Shrugs Off Uruguay's 4.15pm Flight Delay
Marcelo Bielsa brushed off Uruguay's travel disruption after the squad's flight from Cancún to Fort Lauderdale was first cancelled and then delayed for several hours because plane paperwork was not ready. Uruguay still reached Miami Stadium late for its pre-match press conference, but the coach said, "The flight caused no problems," as the team prepared for its opening World Cup game.
Uruguay's Cancún departure
The squad was scheduled to leave early on Sunday afternoon, but the first flight never went because the paperwork relating to the plane was not ready by take-off time. A second plane was commissioned, then delayed as well, and the AUF said the departure had been pushed back for reasons beyond its control. It also said FIFA set a new departure time of 4.15pm.
José María Giménez described the delay as "difficult" and later added, "We had some complications," before saying, "It was difficult, but we took advantage by resting at the hotel. And we just got here later." Uruguay arrived for the pre-match press conference at Miami Stadium several hours late, after spending the week in Mexico and training in Playa del Carmen.
Bielsa's first World Cup
The delay hit Bielsa's first World Cup with Uruguay at a time when the team had not played since March's draws against England and Algeria. He previously took charge of Argentina in 2002 and Chile eight years later, and he had faced calls to resign last November after Uruguay lost 5-1 to the United States in a friendly.
The travel issue also fit a wider pattern at a World Cup staged across three countries. Uruguay's disruption followed other teams' problems in the tournament, including Iran's visa issues for backroom staff entering the United States from Mexico and Thomas Partey's denied visa for Canada.
Uruguay's own old travel headache had a familiar echo, too. Diego Forlán wrote in 2010, "Who is to blame???" and "Arriba Uruguay!!" after a delayed charter flight before a World Cup game in South Africa. This time the squad still reached South Florida, but not on the schedule it expected.
