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Uruguay national team head coach Marcelo Bielsa has admitted his authority as manager has been impacted by the public accusations made by Luis Suárez earlier this month.
The former Uruguay forward called out Bielsa for implementing what he called problematic work conditions during the 2024 Copa América, before detailing the lack of communication between the coaching staff and players.
Suárez later revealed he felt hurt over the manager’s actions, and urged fans not to turn on the players if “something goes wrong” moving forward.
Bielsa publicly addressed the matter for the first time after Uruguay’s 1-0 loss to Peru in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.
“I am not unaware of what happened and I know that my authority is affected in some way,” Bielsa said. “But I prepared for the match with the utmost seriousness and the players’ response was the same as when I started working here. It did not alter the conviction with which the match was prepared in any way.”
Prior to the defeat, Uruguay Football Association president Ignacio Alonso pledged his full support to Bielsa and reiterated that the coach remains a key part of the project leading into the 2026 World Cup, just as he did upon arriving in May, 2023.
“Correct, what Luis said is true, he has told me things, and Jorge [Giordano] as well,” Alonso told the De fútbol se habla así show on DirecTV.
“There is a transition from one era to another, with a generation that enters with an incredible legacy and we bet that Marcelo [Bielsa], as a football leader, could be the ideal figure for our team,” Alonso said. “We are doing well, the team has shown interesting things.
“Uruguay has the hope of reaching 2026 with an optimal football commitment.”
Despite the loss, Uruguay sit in third place of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying standings with 15 points in nine games.
The top six teams will qualify directly to the World Cup, while seventh place is forced to participate in an inter-confederation playoff match for the chance to secure a ticket to the competition.