NEW YORK (AP) — Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa has been suspended by South American soccer’s governing body for coming out late for the second half of the first two Copa America matches and will miss his team’s game against the United States on Monday.
The Confederation of South American Football said Sunday that Bielsa broke tournament rules and it fined the Uruguayan Soccer Association $15,000.
Copa America regulations say players must be on the pitch at a certain time after the break and will be warned after a first violation. The sanction came after the second violation. Uruguay came out late for the second half in victories over Panama and Bolivia.
Bielsa’s penalty is the same given by CONMEBOL to three other Argentine coaches — Lionel Scaloni (Argentina), Ricardo Gareca (Chile) and Fernando Batista (Venezuela) — for the same reason during the tournament being held in the U.S.
“I think they need to make a small adjustment to see if they can get the times right,” Peru coach Jorge Fossati said. “At the end of the first half, it’s not the right moment to set the stopwatch — that needs to happen when you get to the locker room,” he added. “In several stadiums the locker room is a kilometer away, they need to see that.”
Seeking its record 16th Copa America title, Uruguay is 2-0 for six points with a plus-seven goal difference and would advance with at least a draw on Monday night against the U.S. at Kansas City, Missouri, or perhaps even a loss. The U.S. has three points and a plus-one goal difference.
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