“You Don’t Get Rewarded For Failure” – Uruguay’s Post‑World Cup Backlash

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
Uruguay loses. This is a country that's historically been very good in the World Cup. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this story, I'm just going to go to Tom on this one, and if there's short thoughts, we'll get into it. Uruguay Federation reportedly cancers charter flight home, has players fly commercial after elimination. Can you imagine the country's like, hey, you guys were embarrassing.
Go get a freaking coach seat for yourself. The ugliness of Uruguay's 2026 World Cup elimination apparently goes beyond the field. The AUF, Uruguay Soccer Federation, has canceled the charter flight, take players from their base camp in Mexico back to their capital city, Montevideo. According to Uruguayan broadcaster Ten Field, players have instead be left to take commercial flights either home or to vacations with their families.
Uruguay's World Cup campaign officially ended on Friday with a 1-0 loss to Spain, which allowed Capeverde to advance to the knockout rounds and won the most shocking group results in the history of the tournament. This is a mortifying result for a squad overwhelmingly favored to advance over Capeverde and Saudi Arabia. Embarrassing is what a lot of people would say. Embarrassing. Tom, how extreme you think this is? Does it make sense? Do Americans watch this and say that's not fair and they don't understand that soccer is a religion in some other countries?

**SPEAKER_2** (1:16)
That's exactly right.
Some people look at this and say it's just a soccer game. Other people look at it and go, wait a minute, why penalize all the players? Isn't there a coach that's supposed to be motivating, setting strategy and doing all this? Well, what's up with that? Well, I think people need to look at is to look at CV, Cape Verde. And look at that. There are 30,000 more people in Miami than are in Cape Verde. And the GDP is $3.1 billion. And you have Uruguay, a small nation. This is their moment. This is where they can shine. This is where it could happen. And the national pride is so great, to see them not make it to the elimination round. As they say, we're going to make it out of group, and then let's see who we line up against, and let's see if we get a good draw.
And I understand the feeling that the people have there, but these players, they're players.
You know, they're players, they're citizens. They had a bad match. Do you, do you lose sight that this is a game, even though you've got the backdrop of what it means so much to Uruguay, a small country, and that this is your time to shine? You know, I can understand it, but I mean, come on. I mean, if anything, Pat, I would have had the coaches fly coach. The team can come home, but the coaches, you're flying, you're flying on a different plane. But I think it's kind of sad. I think it's, I think it's very sad.
And did every player on that team have a bad game?

**SPEAKER_1** (2:56)
By the way, this is the coach.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:57)
Watch the coach.

**SPEAKER_1** (2:58)
Did you see this clip? Go and play this clip. Go for it. He knows, he's getting a coach flight.

**SPEAKER_3** (3:09)
Literally, coach flight.

**SPEAKER_1** (3:12)
He's upset at the journalist. He's pissed. This thing got 12 million views.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:16)
Marcelo, bueno, que deja como resultado lo que fue este proceso de Uruguay en el mundial?

**SPEAKER_6** (3:20)
Bueno, no, yo no logre potenciar el poderio que tenia Uruguay en sus jugadores.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:31)
Que busco con la salida de Federico Valverde cuando ingreso Viñas?

**SPEAKER_1** (3:37)
I mean, this is emotional stuff with World Cup, you're representing your countries.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:40)
You know what? Good. You don't get rewarded for failure.
For four years, they're waiting. By the way, you think I'm going to feel bad? These guys are deca millionaires. We went to go watch Ronaldo play against Colombia. I was looking at the field, I go, bro, we're sitting here watching, oh, he's a billionaire, isn't he?

**SPEAKER_6** (3:59)
He is.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:59)
We're watching billionaires, and I'm like, oh no. Don't feel bad for them. They're gonna be fine flying commercial with everybody else. Hopefully, one of them or two of them have a baby next to them. But the fans, think about the fans. You flew, Pat, you flew from Uruguay. You saved all your money. You've come here, hard-armed. You spent merch and everything. And you show up, and they get bounced. Oh, you're gonna be, at least listen, they're not playing for Saddam Hussein's son. I mentioned this.
Guys, Uday Hussein was in charge of the national soccer team. If they played bad, there was a special room in the basement of the freaking stadium. He'd hang your feet. You'd be hanging upside down, and he would have your feet beaten underneath your feet, okay, and tortured for bad performances. Flying commercial isn't a human rights violation. You want a private jet, you earn it, okay? Period. I'm not mad at it. Oh, they have to sit on a commercial.