Last week, Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez found himself in a dispute with Marcelo Bielsa, the former Leeds United manager and current head coach of Uruguay’s national team.
Suárez recently expressed his concerns about the manager. He pointed out his closed-off personality and the fact that he didn’t even greet the national team players. As a member of Uruguay’s squad at the 2024 Copa America, the Inter Miami star saw firsthand how Bielsa manages.
Although Bielsa helped La Celeste reach the semi-finals of the 2024 edition of Copa América, Suárez let loose on how Bielsa treated Club Athletico Paranaense’s Agustín Canobbio, who was used very little despite training him with the regulars.
Issues with the Uruguay national team continue for Marcelo Bielsa
Canobbio opened up about his relationship with the former Leeds boss. He shared his experience from the Copa América, talked about the time Bielsa held him responsible for a loss in the World Cup qualifiers, and backed Suárez’s recent comments.
“Two and a half weeks before the first match, and he already had his group,” Canobbio said in a conversation with Minuto 1 (Carve Deportiva) (h/t ESPN Uruguay). “He separated six or seven players, including the sparring partners.
“I’d rather just talk about my own experience. I don’t want to involve anyone else; I respect others’ decisions. I always speak about what I went through, especially since my name’s been brought up. Luis (Suárez) spoke up, and I completely stand by everything he said.
“I was really disappointed because I had worked hard to get ready for the Copa América, and watching it all fall apart just two weeks before it started was tough. During that practice when the group was divided, I had a confrontation with Marcelo, and he belittled me in front of everyone. That’s when Luis told me to let him handle it; he went to speak and didn’t get any response.
“Because I had both my legs resting on the chair legs, I got criticized, saying it was disrespectful and bad manners, even questioning how my family raised me when I wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was calling me out for something irrelevant, and I looked at him like, ‘Calm down.’ I’m not the type to put up with everything, and by that point, I’d already been through a lot. I started losing my patience, and eventually, I snapped, and you saw that reaction (in the match against Canada). Before the Canada match, he told me I might play, and he said that to everyone. He was messing with my head, and after everything that had happened, I just lost it.
“It was an emotional reaction, but I think it’s normal for someone who has feelings. Anyone would have reacted the same way if their boss belittled, mistreated, or humiliated them like that. We’re all human, and we have emotions—at least I do. I won’t let anyone treat me that way. Sure, he’s the coach and our boss, but there are people above him who don’t respect him either. He was allowed to act like that, and he took advantage of it.”
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