Marcelo Bielsa stared at the floor of the Fifa photoshoot studio, hands in pockets, refusing to look up at the camera. When asked to lift his head, the Uruguay coach shook his head and said “no”. The 70-year-old former Leeds United manager, known as “El Loco” for his obsessive attention to detail and maverick ways, had no intention of playing along.
Days later, after his side’s opening 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in Miami on Monday, journalists wanted an explanation. Was it a protest? “I don’t have to give any explanation, the picture was taken the way it was taken,” Bielsa said, visibly unimpressed.
“Marcelo Bielsa defends his defiant World Cup photoshoot, saying 'I don't have to give any explanation' after Uruguay's 1-1 draw.”
He was then pressed on a different question but circled back. “There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain,” he added. “If I’m wearing glasses, why am I wearing glasses? You look somebody in the eye, why do you do that? There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody’s eyes or looking down.”
The photoshoot is a staple of Fifa’s coverage of its biggest tournaments, with all teams and staff taking part. But Bielsa, managing his third nation at a World Cup after Argentina and Chile, was never going to follow normal protocol. The result is now one of the most unique portraits of the tournament.
Uruguay’s campaign had already been thrown into chaos before kick-off when their plane was delayed, meaning they arrived in the United States less than 24 hours before the game. On the pitch, they fell behind to Abdulelah Al-Amri’s first-half goal before Sporting wing-back Maximiliano Araujo salvaged a point.
Bielsa’s side now face Cape Verde on Sunday in their second pool game, needing a victory to keep hopes of progress alive. Whether the coach will smile for the cameras then remains unlikely.