'Nobody cared about what I knew': Bielsa in parting 100-minute presser

Departing Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa admitted his methods failed to resonate with the players after stepping down following the team's shock group-stage exit from the FIFA World Cup, saying "nothing I tried to transmit was important."

Speaking at a 100-minute press conference in Montevideo on Tuesday, Bielsa accepted full responsibility for Uruguay's disappointing campaign, insisting he had no excuses for the team's early elimination.

Uruguay opened their Group H campaign with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia before throwing away a second-half lead in a 2-2 draw with Cape Verde. Needing a positive result against Spain to progress, they were beaten 1-0 after a costly goalkeeping error.

"What I have absolute certainty of is that nobody cared about what I knew," Bielsa said of his 25-month spell in charge, which began in May 2023.

"I know when someone is interested in what I have to say. Nothing I tried to transmit was important, at any level. I don't see anything wrong with that. People simply weren't interested in learning what I know. Case closed."

The 70-year-old, however, refused to blame his players for the failure.

"My responsibility for what happened is very clear," he said. "I cannot justify where we finished. My management of the players was insufficient. We all did our best – my staff, the players and I – but it wasn't enough."

Despite the poor results, Bielsa maintained that Uruguay deserved more from the tournament, arguing the performances did not reflect the outcome.

"There isn't a serious analysis that doesn't conclude we should have beaten Saudi Arabia, beaten Cape Verde and drawn with Spain," he said.

"We were united enough to run 20% more than Saudi Arabia, 30% more than Cape Verde and 25% more than Spain."

Bielsa also defended veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, whose error gifted Spain the winning goal before he asked to be substituted at half-time.

According to Bielsa, Muslera had been unwell the day before the match but insisted the goalkeeper's request to come off was driven by his emotional state rather than his illness.

"Muslera told me he was so affected by the mistake that he preferred to stop playing because he believed the team still had a chance, and he wasn't in the best condition to help them in the second half," Bielsa said.

"It has never happened to me before that a player has asked to be substituted because of the emotional impact of an error."