Marcelo Bielsa on Sunday became the fourth Copa America coach to be suspended by CONMEBOL for coming on late for the second half in his team’s first two games in the tournament.
The governing body of South American football said its disciplinary decision found that the Argentine coach violated the regulations of the continental tournament regarding delays in his team’s entry onto the field for the start or resumption of matches. It also included a fine of $15,000 to the Uruguayan Football Association.
Bielsa will not be on the bench for the final Group C match against the United States on Monday in Kansas City, Missouri. La Celeste is looking to secure first place in the group.
Uruguay came out late for the second half in the 3-1 wins over Panama and 5-0 against Bolivia.
Bielsa’s sanction is the same that three other Argentine coaches received for the same reason: Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Ricardo Gareca (Chile) and Fernando Batista (Venezuela).
Walta Samuel, Scaloni’s assistant who ended up coaching in the 2-0 win against Peru on Saturday night, assured that the defending champions “did not seek to take advantage.”
Following the announcement of the suspensions of Scaloni and Gareca last Friday, Peru coach Jorge Fossati mentioned the long distance between the bench and the locker room in most US stadiums that host NFL teams.
“I think it would deserve a little adjustment to see if they give us the necessary time,” said the Uruguayan coach.
“You have to look at many things. When the first half ends, it is not the time to set the stopwatch, but when you get to the locker room,” he added. “In several stadiums, the locker room is like a kilometer away and you have to look at that.”
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