FC Barcelona striker Luis Suarez was left a frustrated figure on the Uruguay bench after being told that he could not take part in his national side’s Copa America group match against Venezuela.
The Uruguayans were losing 1-0 to the Venezuelans after Solomon Rondon put the latter ahead, turning in a rebound, after Alejandro Guerra thundered the cross bar from long range.
With the clock ticking in the second half, Suarez, who bagged the Pichichi (top scorer’s award) with 40 goals in the La Liga last season, was seen warming up on the sidelines.
However, just as he was about to come on, Suarez was told that he could not take part in the match, as he has not been named as one of the substitutes on the Uruguay bench. A furious Suarez was seen bellowing at the Uruguay coaching staff, as he was forced to reclaim his seat on the sidelines.
Uruguay head coach Oscar Tabarez later said that Suarez was not named as one of the substitutes, as he was not fully fit for the match.
“There is no situation. The situation is what I told you [on Wednesday]. The player is not ready to play,” said Tabarez after the match [via The Guardian]. “This is an issue about numbers and doctors. Even if the player is upset, I’m not going to play a player who is not 100%. If he got upset, that is something I was not aware of. He didn’t tell me anything.”
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