Read 3 minutesJun 27, 2026 01:11 PM IST
Two-time champions Uruguay suffered yet another group exit from the FIFA World Cup after losing 1-0 to Spain on Saturday. It was the second time in a row that they had been knocked out in the first round of the competition and head coach Marcelo Bielsa was scathing in his self-assessment.
“I am responsible for this disappointment. Of course, I don’t need to define this performance… If you ask me how my time (with the national team) will be remembered, it is a tenure that left nothing behind. What will I leave for Uruguayan soccer? Nothing, because what a coach can contribute to a country’s football will never be achieved after three years of work. The qualifiers did not count for much and did not finish third in the Copa America, and what happened now needs to be explained clearly. No. Bisla told reporters after the defeat.
The 70-year-old coach took over the Uruguayan team in 2023 following the departure of Diego Alonso. Under Bielsa, Uruguay reached the semi-finals of the Copa America and finished fourth in the South American qualifiers for the World Cup. They defeated reigning world champions Argentina and five-time World Cup winners Brazil along the way. The South American nation opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia before the team drew 2-2 against Cape Verde. Needing a win against Spain to qualify for the knockout stages, a mistake by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, the hero of the team’s semi-final run at the 2010 World Cup, left the team behind.
This was Muslera’s third mistake. The 40-year-old came out of retirement earlier this year at the behest of Bielsa. He was selected as a substitute in the second half.
“Muslera decided to come off at half-time. My decision was made very thoughtfully. I did all the evaluations I thought were necessary. Now I cannot deny what happened and evaluate his performance. But he is a goalkeeper who had a very good year and he is a player with great personality and character,” Bielsa said.
Uruguay qualified for the World Cup with a 5-1 loss to the USA last November and a draw with England in March. After the loss against the USA, Bisla had spoken about how he was too demanding and ‘stressful’.
“I am a stressor. The atmosphere becomes tense when I come. That’s why I rarely show up. I’m toxic. Associating yourself with me makes you worse. Do you understand me? There are toxic types who only see mistakes that are corrected, who demand, who are never satisfied. He only talks at work. He reads the newspaper because he doesn’t want to fit in with the people around him, so he doesn’t need to talk about things that make him happy. “Koch told reporters.