CONMEBOL has suspended Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa from their final group stage match of the 2024 Copa America against the United States.
The suspension comes after Uruguay was late to the start of Thursday’s 5-0 win over Bolivia. Copa America rules state that “teams must strictly adhere to the scheduled start of matches” and that “in any case the manager of the team concerned is responsible for any violations.”
The first offense will result in a warning, a second will result in a one-match suspension for the coach, and the Uruguayan Football Association was also fined $15,000.
CONMEBOL is cracking down on teams that delay the resumption of Copa America matches.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni and Chile coach Ricardo Gareca were suspended earlier in the tournament for their teams’ late arrivals at the stadium, while Venezuela coach Fernando Batista will also be suspended for Sunday’s final group game against Jamaica for the same offence.
A draw against the United States on Monday in Kansas City, Missouri, will see Uruguay secure a place in the Copa America knockout stages as winners of Group C.
The U.S. national team is in even more precarious territory after losing to Panama on Thursday. Depending on the result of the match between Panama and Bolivia at the same time, the U.S. could advance no matter what the outcome is. If Panama wins the points-difference tiebreaker against Bolivia, even a win over Uruguay could keep them out of the knockout stages.
“We have to go out there, we have to represent our country with passion and pride,” U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said after Thursday’s loss to Panama. “We have to go out there and play the best game of our life. That’s it. We want to go out there, we want to win, we want to keep competing in this tournament.”
