Problems with the flight: Uruguay reaches the venue late
The Uruguayan national soccer team’s trip from Cancún to Miami a day before their World Cup opener has been delayed. The reason for this was an error in handling, FIFA said in response to a dpa request. “The airline has apologized for the inconvenience caused. FIFA was in close contact with the Uruguayan national team throughout the delay,” the world association said.
Coach Marcelo Bielsa’s selection starts the tournament on Tuesday (midnight, ZDF and MagentaTV) against Saudi Arabia. According to the Argentine, the late arrival will not affect the preparation. “The flight didn’t cause any problems,” Bielsa said in response to a question. The 70-year-old did not comment further on the topic. Unlike many media outlets, he didn’t talk about travel chaos and instead briefly and succinctly moderated the complications. Bielsa also did not address the duration of the departure delay. The press conference, originally scheduled for 6:45 p.m., started at around 8:30 p.m. (local time). Previously, “The Athletic”, among others, had quoted an association spokesman who blamed FIFA for the delay.
Apparently it’s not the first time that travel complications have hit Uruguay at a World Cup. The association shared a message from its former striker Diego Forlán on
Spain starts the World Cup without Yamal in the starting line-up
European champions Spain will start the World Cup without young star Lamine Yamal. Coach Luis de la Fuente confirmed this before the start against outsiders Cape Verde on Monday (6 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online).
“The good news is that Lamine is very fit. He is in good shape and is training very well. He is available, but he cannot play from the start,” said the 64-year-old in Atlanta. The same applies to wing striker Nico Williams. De la Fuente wants to decide whether the duo will be used for a few minutes depending on how the game goes.
The successful coach had many words of praise for his opponent. “Tactically they are very well structured, the players are very fast and physically good,” said de la Fuente. “They could be one of the surprise teams. It will be a battle even if we win.” If you think it’s going to be an easy game, you’re wrong.