The Bolivian soccer team He couldn’t leave Venezuela After playing the party corresponding to the South American qualifiersbecause the Airport authorities prevented takeoff of the charter flight from Maturínwithout providing an official explanation. In the early morning, soccer players and coaching staff They had that Return to the hotel After hours of waiting at the airport.
The statement of the Bolivian Football Federation He explained that the delegation had all permits and documents required, but the regime headed by Nicolás Maduro blocked the exit of the scheduled plane. Around 2 pm on Saturday, Bolivian football representatives were still stranded, while Venezuelan authorities They maintained the refusal to authorize takeoff.
According to face -to -face witnesses, the confusion seized the group. Some journalists who accompanied the team confirmed the bewilderment through messages sent to local media: “We don’t know, we are returning to the hotel”they indicated around the 01:42. Uncertainty also generated discomfort in the leadership and among Bolivian diplomatic officials, who denounced the actions of the Venezuelan regime as a new outrage.
The statements of the coach of Bolivia
The coach Óscar Villegas He anticipated this possibility. “We already knew. We talked to the Minister of Government a week ago and We ask him to dialogue with the government From Venezuela to let us out, ”warned the DT, who remarked the need for players to rest as soon as possible, both in Venezuela and once back in Bolivia.
For its part, the person in charge of Safety and Logistics of the Delegation, Harold Howardhe described what happened as a deliberate maneuver: “They say There is a lot of air trafficwhen there were only two planes landing, ”he denounced, implying that it was an undercover sabotage.
The episode deepened the rejection of sports and politicians of Boliviawho raised claims to the national authorities to demand firm responses to the attitude of the Venezuelan government. From different fields they pointed out the lack of guarantees and transparency of the Maduro regime, which returned to a foreign delegation in a tense and irregular situation.
In addition, the return flight had planned to reach La Paz near the 5 (local time), but the refusal of Venezuela completely altered the plans of the campus, which should resume training that same day with a view to the party against Chili in THE HIGHscheduled for Tuesday.
The discomfort of the campus
The discomfort was aggravated due to another recent background: the modification of the date of the meeting. Originally scheduled for Thursday, the crossing with Venezuela was rescheduled at the last moment for Friday, which added suspicions of an intention to harm the Bolivian team, direct rival for the seventh since it gives access to the repechage towards the next World.
In sports, Bolivia It came from falling 2-0 in view of Venezuela In the stadium Maturín Monumentala result that consolidated the Red wine in the seventh position with 18 pointsleaving the Bolivians with four units less and mired in a streak of Eight games without triumphs. The chances of classifying a World Cup for the first time in 32 years They reduced drastically.
The development of the party showed a clear superiority of the local team. A rude defensive error allowed the opening of the score in the first minutes, and Solomon Rondón expanded the advantage before half an hour. The Red wine He dominated with authority and had the fervent breath of his audience, while Bolivia barely managed to disturb the rival goalkeeper.
The combination of the defeat on the court, the modification of the date of the match and the retention at the airport reinforced the feeling of a hostile context, where sports was crossed by political tensions. The situation of the selection was again involved in controversy, in an episode more than the many that involve the Venezuelan regime and their way of managing international competitions.
Source: Ambito
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