Uruguay Team Angered by Heavy Security Check Before World Cup Match

Minutes before Uruguay’s World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia, the team was stopped at the stadium entrance and subjected to what players and staff described as an intrusive, humiliating security search. The incident happened yesterday, Monday, ahead of kickoff, in the United States, where Uruguay had arrived for the tournament.

Videos circulating on social media showed armed security personnel holding up the squad, including Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte, while sniffer dogs inspected the players and their personal bags beside the team bus. According to the report, the search was unusually aggressive and delayed the team just before they were supposed to head onto the pitch.

People present said the players were shocked and frustrated by the treatment. Ugarte was shown standing helplessly in footage that captured the embarrassment of the moment. Uruguay’s coaching staff protested loudly to the organizers, arguing that the timing was especially damaging because players needed to be mentally focused before kickoff, not treated like criminal suspects.

Sources around the team called the security response a “powerful, unnecessary and utterly disgraceful display,” and stressed that Uruguay had arrived by secured bus directly from the hotel. As of the report, the tournament’s organizing committee had not issued an official response to the screening.