Uruguay kicked off the Copa America 2024 in impressive fashion, securing victories in their first two matches against Panama and Bolivia, and ensuring their spot in the quarterfinals. However, they will face the USA without Marcelo Bielsa’s guidance on the touchline.
The reason why Bielsa will not be on the bench against USA for the last game of the group stage is due to the delays his team had when returning to the field after halftime against Panama and Bolivia.
CONMEBOL had previously issued a warning following the delayed second-half start against Panama. The situation repeated itself against Bolivia, with Uruguay taking an additional minute and a half to re-enter the field, resulting in Bielsa’s suspension.
Who will replace Bielsa as Uruguay’s coach?
Pablo Quiroga is Marcelo Bielsa’s assistant coach and will replace the Argentinean to lead Uruguay in the last group stage match against the USA. He will also give the pre-match press conference since, according to CONMEBOL regulations, on the day of the match, the suspended coach will not be allowed to have any contact with any member of the squad.
Quiroga, a long-time collaborator with Bielsa, has extensive experience working alongside the Argentine coach. He started as a video analyst during Bielsa’s tenure with the Chilean National Team and continued with him through his successful stint at Leeds United, where they achieved promotion to the Premier League.
