All has not been smooth sailing for Marcelo Bielsa during his time in charge of Uruguay. One particular sticky point came when Luis Suárez retired from international football and launched an attack on Bielsa.
Suárez’s Criticism of Bielsa
In September 2024 Luis Suárez retired from the international game. What followed was a remarkable attack on Bielsa, accusing him of isolating the players and creating a culture of fear.
Suárez described an incident during Uruguay’s 2-0 win over Argentina. He said Bielsa had brought Darwin Núñez to tears with the severity of his criticism at half-time. Suárez consoled Núñez, who then had a much better second half. For Bielsa, Suárez said, that was evidence his approach had worked.
Bielsa’s Response and Uruguay’s Form
Bielsa admitted his authority had been undermined. There was a sense of drift, with World Cup qualification almost certain but a sense of unease.
From the middle of last year, there had appeared to be some improvement, as Uruguay went unbeaten in three qualifiers and in three friendlies – albeit against unremarkable opposition – but the 5-1 USA defeat brought the doubts rolling in again.
Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations Dispute
Senegal were sensationally stripped of their title last week. The Confederation of African Football announced that it had upheld an appeal by the Moroccan federation, saying that the champions had infringed tournament regulations by walking off.
As a result, it declared that Senegal had forfeited the match, turning its 1-0 victory into a 3-0 defeat, making Morocco the champions instead.
On Wednesday, Senegal lodged an appeal against that decision to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Senegal’s Coach Speaks Out
The Senegal head coach, Pape Thiaw, insisted today that “trophies are won on the pitch” when asked about the decision to strip his team of the Africa Cup of Nations title and declare Morocco the champions.
“I am focused on my job. It is important to not be distracted. Everyone knows we are the champions of Africa,” Thiaw told reporters at a press conference in Paris, ahead of his team’s friendly with Peru tomorrow at the Stade de France. “We are going to keep working hard to try to win more trophies. It is clear in our minds that trophies are won on the pitch.”
The Peru match will also be their first outing since the Afcon final against Morocco in Rabat on January 18. Morocco face Ecuador at Atlético Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano tonight.