The national team of Uruguay is pointing fingers at FIFA after travel delays caused them to miss their scheduled departure, resulting in their late arrival in the United States—less than 24 hours prior to their first World Cup match.
The flight was supposed to take off from Cancun, Mexico, where the team has set up camp, on Sunday afternoon.
However, it was reportedly unable to enter the U.S. due to permit issues with the plane. As mentioned by Telemundo, documentation problems prevented the flight from being cleared.
A second aircraft was arranged to transport the team to South Florida, according to The Athletic.
In a statement, the Uruguayan Football Association noted, “Due to circumstances outside the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The team is currently resting at a hotel. FIFA has rescheduled the departure for 4:15 p.m.”
A spokesperson for the federation confirmed FIFA’s involvement in the delays.
FIFA attributed the issue to technical problems with the aircraft, as per USA Today.
Uruguay’s first World Cup match is set for Monday at 6:00 p.m. ET against Saudi Arabia in Miami.
Depending on when they actually arrive in Florida, other urgent matters may need addressing. For instance, manager Marcelo Bielsa and central defender José María Jiménez were due to attend a pre-match press conference originally scheduled for 6:45 p.m., but it has now been pushed back to 8:00 p.m.
If they miss this, the federation might face repercussions from FIFA.
Social media accounts of the Uruguayan Football Association shared updates of players boarding a flight to Miami around 5:40 p.m.
