Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa — nicknamed “El Loco” — is battling a full-blown squad mutiny just weeks before the World Cup, with senior players openly rebelling against his punishing training methods and intense tactical demands.
GUAYQUIL, Ecuador — Marcelo Bielsa, the Argentine manager who rebuilt Leeds United and won over Guardiola and Pochettino as disciples, has arrived at what may be the lowest point of his storied career. Inside Uruguay’s World Cup camp, senior players have had enough.
Sources inside the squad told Media Hook that multiple senior players approached Uruguayan Football Association officials last week to formally register complaints about Bielsa’s conduct — specifically what they described as psychologically damaging criticism delivered during matches and training sessions. The mutiny is the most serious dressing-room crisis to hit a national team in the region ahead of the June 11 World Cup kickoff.
At the centre of the backlash is the treatment of former Liverpool striker Darwin Núñez, who according to teammates was reduced to tears at halftime of a 2-0 win over Argentina after Bielsa berated him publicly. Fellow legend Luis Suárez retired from international football months later, explicitly citing Bielsa’s methods as his reason.
“His authority was affected,” Bielsa himself admitted after Suárez’s resignation — a rare acknowledgment of a crisis he has struggled to contain.
Uruguay needed a fast start in qualifying to offset a collapse in form, winning just three of their final 12 matches. They scraped through to the tournament amid growing unrest. A 5-1 friendly defeat
In Group F, Uruguay faces Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde and Spain — a manageable draw on paper, but one that now looks precarious given the turmoil inside the camp. Players have reportedly told each other they will not extend the same-run-of-the-mill effort if Bielsa’s methods remain unchanged. Whether Uruguay coach can win back the dressing room before the opening match may decide whether his third World Cup — with a third different nation — ends in historic failure.
The Uruguayan Football Association has declined to comment. Bielsa is contracted through the end of the World Cup and has given no indication he will step aside before the tournament concludes.