Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa has been suspended by South American soccer’s governing body for coming out late for the second half of the first two matches of this year’s Copa América. He will miss his team’s group stage finale against the US on Monday.
Conmebol said on Sunday that Bielsa broke tournament rules and it fined the country’s soccer association $15,000.
Copa América regulations say players must be on the pitch at a certain time after the break and will be warned after a first violation. The sanction came after the second violation. Uruguay came out late for the second half in victories over Panama and Bolivia. Bielsa’s side returned to the pitch 90 seconds late against Bolivia.
Bielsa’s penalty is the same given by Conmebol to three other Argentinian coaches – Lionel Scaloni (who coaches Argentina), Ricardo Gareca (Chile) and Fernando Batista (Venezuela) – for the same reason during the tournament, which is being held in the US.
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“I think they need to make a small adjustment to see if they can get the times right,” Peru coach Jorge Fossati said. “At the end of the first half, it’s not the right moment to set the stopwatch – that needs to happen when you get to the locker room,” he added. “In several stadiums the locker room is a kilometer away, they need to see that.”
Seeking a record 16th Copa América title, Uruguay have blitzed their way through the opening two games of the competition. They sit on six points at the top of Group C thanks to convincing wins over Panama and Bolivia – and have a plus-seven goal difference. They will advance to the knockout rounds if they avoid a heavy defeat on Monday against the US in Kansas City. The US have three points and a plus-one goal difference, while Panama sit on three points with a minus-one goal difference.
The final game of Group C will be a decisive one for the USMNT and coach Gregg Berhalter, whose job is on the line after a poor start to the tournament. Bettering the result of Panama against Bolivia would probably see them advance, although there are scenarios where the US win and still go out on goal difference. Beating one of the tournament favorites is a big ask, but their task will be made easier by the absence of Bielsa.
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