Bielsa responds to criticism regarding the viral photo: "I'm not a model"
Marcelo Bielsa, head coach of Uruguay, has responded to criticism regarding his official World Cup photo, defending his style and posture.
Marcelo Bielsa's distinctive style leaves no one unnoticed. The recent controversy surrounding Uruguay's coach stems from the official photo that FIFA requires all coaches and players at the World Cup to take to be displayed on large screens in stadiums and on digital media. In the photo, Bielsa appears with his head bowed and his eyes looking down, an unusual pose that has gone viral on social networks and created many memes.
At the press conference after the match between Uruguay and New Zealand, which took place early Tuesday morning Spanish time, Bielsa responded strongly to criticism. "I don't need to explain anything," said the 70-year-old Argentine coach. "The photo was taken like that. I'm not a model. I have no answer for that. Do I need to explain why I'm not looking at the people talking to me right now? I have no explanation to give," he continued. "There's a limit to what we need to explain. If I wear glasses, why do I wear glasses? You look someone in the eye, why do you do that? There's nothing wrong with wearing glasses, looking straight into someone's eyes or looking down."
Bielsa maintained a similar attitude before the match: he bowed his head and kept his gaze fixed on the ground as he passed a row of reporters as he walked onto the field. Additionally, as usual, he directed the players while sitting on a blue cooler on the sideline.
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