Uruguay head coach Oscar Tabarez dismissed after 15 years in role

February 28, 2024

Uruguay have sacked Oscar Tabarez after 15 years in charge of the national team.

Tabarez, 74, was nicknamed ‘El Maestro’ for the manner in which he revolutionised Uruguayan football after taking over for a second spell in 2006.

The former school-teacher holds the world record for most games in charge of one nation — 224.

Under his direction, the side came closest to recapturing the glories of their two World Cup triumphs in 1930 and 1950. They reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and won the Copa America the following year.

His dismissal comes with Uruguay having lost their last four games in their World Cup qualifying group. With four matches to play, they sit a point behind both Colombia in the final automatic qualification spot and Peru who occupy the play-off place. Chile are also above them on goal difference.

A statement from the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) read: “The AUF Executive Committee informs that it has resolved to terminate the contract of Mr. Oscar Tabarez and other members of the coaching staff of the senior national team.

“We emphatically express that this decision does not ignore the important contribution of Tabarez to Uruguayan soccer. We salute and acknowledge the fundamental sporting achievements obtained in these 15 years, which once again placed Uruguay at the top of world football.

“We express our respect and appreciation for the professionalism and dedication he showed during his time in charge and the immeasurable legacy that this fruitful period leaves in the history of the national team.

“The AUF Executive Committee has made this difficult decision under present circumstances, committed to the near future and obtaining the results we all hope for.”

His final match in charge was a 3-0 loss to Bolivia on Tuesday.

What has Tabarez done for Uruguayan football?

After retiring from an undistinguished playing career at 32, Tabarez began coaching at several Montevideo based clubs.

He had two spells in charge of Uruguay’s Under-20s, who he led to a gold medal in the 1983 Pan-American games.

Following this success, he was appointed head coach of the senior side in 1988, leading them to the final of the 1989 Copa America and the knockout stages of the 1990 World Cup. After Tabarez’s dismissal, Uruguay did not win another World Cup match until 2010, the first tournament after his re-appointment.

In the nineties, he coached at Boca Juniors, Cagliari, and Milan, being replaced at the latter by Arrigo Sacchi.

Taking over Uruguay once more after they failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, he inherited a team that blended the experience of Diego Forlan and Diego Lugano with the then youthful abandon of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

Introducing a plan called “El Proceso (The Process)” across Uruguayan football, Tabarez’s side reached the semi-final of the 2010 World Cup. They won their first Copa America since 1995 in 2011, beating Paraguay in the final, and becoming the most successful team in the competition’s history.

They reached the second round of the 2014 World Cup, and were only knocked out by eventual winners France during the quarter-final stage of the 2018 edition.

Diagnosed with Guillain–Barre syndrome late in his career, he coached into his seventies with the aid of crutches and even a wheelchair while pitchside.

While he was the most significant Uruguayan coach since Juan Lopez, the AUF felt that their qualification struggles meant that now was finally time to make a change, 224 games later.

(Photo: CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images)

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