World NewsUruguay Raise Safety Concerns |
THE Uruguayan Football Association has voiced concerns over the safety of its players ahead of their visit to La Paz to play a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia next Tuesday.
A protest on the streets of the Bolivian capital has been announced for the day of the game by civilians who are unhappy with the standard of living in the country.The Uruguay team are due to arrive from Santa Cruz de la Sierra on the day of the match and their governing body has asked the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) and the national government for safety guarantees.
The AUF technical manager Eduardo Belza told the Marcas newspaper: "We are confident that our national team will have no problems in arriving in La Paz because we have been in continual consultation with our country's ambassador.
"However, we have asked the FBF to take the necessary precautions to make sure that we will find everything as we expect, as we've never had any problems in La Paz."
The Bolivian sports vice-minister Miguel Aguilar sought to ease the Uruguayans' fears ahead of their visit, saying: "No visitor should fear (coming to La Paz). Inner problems do not affect tourism or football."
The FBF general manager Alberto Lozada added that he was confident of the security situation.
He told www.facetasdeportivastv.com: "We are taking the relevant precautions. In any case the protests will take place after the match.
"The problem is that news on the problems we are living in our country gain more importance at international level."
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