Copa America: Benched Suarez throws tantrums

Luis Suarez bangs the bench shelter with his fist after realising he was not the man chosen to go on as Uruguay’s last substitution

A Luis Suarez tantrum near the end of Thursday’s 1-0 defeat by Venezuela graphically summed up Uruguay’s frustration at a shock early exit from the Copa America Centenario.

The striker who scored 40 goals for Barcelona in the La Liga season banged the transparent, acrylic bench shelter with his fist after realising he was not the man chosen to go on as Uruguay’s last substitution in the 78th minute of the Group C match in Philadelphia.

“However, angry he gets, I’m not going to send on a player who could be at risk,” coach Oscar Tabarez told a news conference of Suarez, who figured on Uruguay’s match team list under the “I” column for injured.

“There was no situation. It’s what I said yesterday (Wednesday), Luis is not fit to play, but it’s a thing for the medics. I was with him just now and he didn’t say anything to me.”

Tabarez’s plan was to have Suarez, recovering from a thigh injury, fully fit for the knockout phase but that was dashed by the team’s poor performances, not so much against Mexico as Venezuela.

Uruguay, record 15-times winners of the world’s oldest international tournament, were among the pre-tournament favourites to lift the trophy in the centenary event in the United States.

Defeats by Mexico and Venezuela left them without a point, however, and only a dead rubber against also eliminated Jamaica to come in Santa Clara, California on Monday.

Mexico and Venezuela meet in Houston on the same evening with top place in the group, currently held by the Mexicans on goal difference, at stake.