Marcelo Bielsa says players and coaches have no obligation to act like models after the Uruguay manager took part in an awkward photoshoot for the World Cup 2026.A video taken during the creation of team promotional material for the finals shows Bielsa shaking his head while looking steadfastly downwards in an apparent refusal to engage with the cameras.I dont have to give any explanation, Bielsa said after his teams opening 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in Miami.They took the photo of me the way they took it. I am not a model. I was facing the photographers, and that was the photo they got of me.Table of ContentsWorld Cup 2026: Marcelo Bielsa on Uruguay photosSaudi Arabia vs Uruguay: Bielsa on World Cup openerWorld Cup 2026: Uruguay were supposed to winUruguay World Cup fixtures, scheduleWorld Cup 2026: Marcelo Bielsa on Uruguay photosThe shoots are usually a chance for players and staff to strike a pose for tournament portraits.Among Bielsas squad, examples included Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte smiling and pointing at the Uruguay badge on his shirt, former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez eyeing the lens head on and Real Madrids Federico Valverde raising his index finger in one snap and holding it to his lips in another.By contrast, Bielsa known for his occasional unusual antics and force of character during his time as a hugely popular Leeds United head coach between 2018 and 2022 has his hands in his pockets and looks at the floor in each of his pictures.I believe there is a limit to what needs to be explained, argued the 70-year-old, whose former teams include Lille, Lazio, Marseille, Chile and his native Argentina.If one wears glasses, why do they wear glasses? If one looks someone in the eye, why do they look them in the eye? If one looks up or looks down? Do so many things really need to be explained?Simply put, explanations are being sought for situations that do not require them. There is nothing wrong with it; one can wear glasses, one can look straight ahead, one can look down.We are under no obligation to act like models just to satisfy expectations that have no real substance. I did nothing wrong.Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay: Bielsa on World Cup openerBielsa was also unimpressed by Uruguays poor start to their campaign, sending on Agustin Canobbio and Juan Manuel Sanabria for Matias Vina and Darwin Nunez at half-time with his side behind.The changes led to a dominant second half for the two-time champions, who equalised 10 minutes from time through Sportings Maximiliano Araujo and ended on 28 attempts at goal.The team was sluggish, without dynamics, without pressing, without forcing errors and without depth throughout the first half, assessed Bielsa.When it became apparent that we werent establishing a [foothold], our opponents believed they could and, ultimately, did.Our failure to win without taking anything away from the qualities of our opponents is mostly tied to the fact that we didnt achieve the version of ourselves that we are capable of.There is an easy path where we could just say yes, we deserved to win; we missed 10 chances in the second half.But a match is the sum of all its parts. While its true that in the second half the teams performances changed we didnt utilise 45 minutes when we were in a position to do exactly what we did in the second half.World Cup 2026: Uruguay were supposed to winSaudi Arabia shocked Argentina in the first match at the 2022 finals and were considerable underdogs against Uruguay, who started the finals 44 places above them in FIFAs rankings.With minnows Cape Verde proving their own shock power by holding Spain 0-0 in the first match in the section, Uruguay could face tougher tests ahead.The concrete fact is that todays match was a winnable one that we didnt win, rued Beilsa.The fact that the other match ended in a draw doesnt soften the reality that today, when we were supposed to win, we didnt.Uruguay World Cup fixtures, scheduleHeres how Uruguays remaining group fixtures look. Asterisk denotes match starting the following day in that territory.DateOpponentsVenueStart time (BST)(ET)(PT)Sun, June 21Cape VerdeMiami23:0018:0015:00Sat, June 27SpainGuadalajara01:00*20:0017:00. Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Darwin Nunez Federico Valverde FIFA World Cup Manuel Ugarte Marcelo Bielsa Saudi Arabia National Football Team Uruguay National Football Team World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup star gives Donald Trump message over Iran war: We just want peace Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full fixtures, dates, games, schedule and results from FIFA football finals Ben Miller 16th June, 2026 Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay: Araujo salvages a point for South Americans after Bielsa reshuffle Jon Fisher 16th June, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Iran vs New Zealand confirmed teams and full line ups, TV channel, live online stream and stats Jon Fisher 16th June, 2026 Saudi Arabia 1-0 Uruguay: Al Amri scores before the break to threaten another upset Jon Fisher 16th June, 2026
