‘It breaks my heart’ – Luis Suarez slams Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa and reveals showdown talks over ‘toxic’ atmosphere
LUIS SUAREZ has slammed Marcelo Bielsa for creating a “toxic” atmosphere around the Uruguayan national team.
Former Leeds boss Bielsa took over the two-time World Cup winners in May 2023.
Suarez, 37, is Uruguay’s all-time leading goalscorer and was selected by Bielsea for this summer’s Copa America.
But the ex-Liverpool and Barcelona superstar has revealed an unpleasant culture behind the scenes.
Suarez told TV show De fútbol se habla así: “At the Celeste Complex [training ground], employees are not allowed to come in and greet us and eat with us.
“They have to be careful even at the door they have to enter.
“It breaks my heart that this is how life is in the Complex today.”
Suarez played a big role in Uruguay‘s Copa campaign, with the team finishing third overall.
He has since retired from international football – and revealed he wasn’t happy during the tournament.
Suarez continued: “There were situations at the Copa America that hurt me, but I didn’t say them for the sake of coexistence.
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“Many players held a meeting to ask the coach to at least say good morning to us, but he didn’t even say hello.
“Bielsa gives a conference and talks wonderful things about people, and in New York.
“But there was a day when he asked us not to stop to greet people and I stood up and I told him that we were going to greet people anyway.”
Suarez also claimed he tried to talk to Bielsa following his retirement to patch up their relationship.
He added: “I had a five-minute chat with Bielsa, speaking as a group leader, and at the end he only replied, ‘Thank you very much.'”
Uruguay return to action on October 11 against Peru in the next round of World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
And Suarez begged fans to have patience with the team – signing off with a barb against his former boss.
The Liverpool legend said: “I ask people not to take it out on the players if something goes wrong.
“Bielsa has separated the whole group, even in the way they train.”
Argentinian Bielsa, 69, has been a coach since 1982.
He has an enviable record at international level, becoming a cult hero as boss of Chile over a decade ago.
The 69-year-old, famed for sitting on top of an upturned bucket on the touchline, is revered by Leeds fans.
He helped return the Whites to the Premier League after a 16-year absence, before being sacked in February 2022.
Bielsa is only the second non-Uruguayan manager to coach the national team.
Over his 20 games in charge, he has overseen 10 wins, 7 draws, and just 3 defeats.