Key Uruguay players have reportedly complained to coach Marcelo Bielsa about exhaustion, training being too rigid and a risky game plan ahead of their crucial World Cup match against Spain later on Saturday.
Broadcaster ESPN and daily El Espectador said that players, including Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, Manuel Ugarte of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur's Rodrigo Betancur, had confronted Bielsa with the issues.
Twice champions Uruguay have disappointed so far at the World Cup, drawing 1-1 with Saudi Arabia and 2-2 with Cape Verde.
They must beat Spain to be assured of a place in the knock-out rounds, and the players reportedly want Bielsa to take a more cautious approach against the European champions.
Reports say Bielsa reacted angrily to the complaints and made a long speech to the squad. He is said to have accused several players of trying to topple him for a second time.
Bielsa has been in charge since 2023. Star forward Luis Suarez retired from the team after a lost Copa America semi-final, accusing Bielsa of having created "a toxic atmosphere" within the squad and staff.
Valverde more or less confirmed this, in a more muted form, at the time.
Also known as El Loco (The Madman), 70-year-old Argentine Bielsa is worshipped by football purists.
He has led Argentina and Chile to the World Cup in the past, got Leeds United into the Premier League and Athletic Bilbao into the Europa League final.
Allegations that he overworks his teams are however not new. The president of his former club Olympique Marseille, Vincent Labrune, once described Bielsa’s style of play as "collective suicide."
