FIFA and airline trade blame after Uruguay's Copa América flight chaos in Cancun

Uruguay’s preparations for their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia were thrown into disarray after their flight from Cancun to Miami was delayed on Sunday due to a paperwork error that left the aircraft without approval to operate the route.

The Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) issued a statement suggesting FIFA was responsible for the hold-up. “Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed,” the federation said. “The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15pm.”

FIFA pushed back, placing the blame squarely on the carrier. “Due to an airline permitting error in Mexico, the Uruguay national team’s departure from Cancun to Miami was delayed,” the governing body said in a statement. “The airline has apologised for the inconvenience caused. FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team throughout their delay and worked alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimise disruption to the team’s travel arrangements.”

Uruguay eventually landed in Miami and held a delayed press conference with head coach Marcelo Bielsa and captain José María Giménez before turning their attention to their opening group fixture against Saudi Arabia.

ITV picture quality draws viewer complaints

Japan and the Netherlands played out an entertaining 2-2 draw on Sunday, but the match was overshadowed in the United Kingdom by widespread complaints about ITV’s broadcast picture quality. Virgil van Dijk headed the Netherlands in front early in the second half before Keito Nakamura equalised. Crysencio Summerville restored the Dutch lead, only for Daichi Kamada’s late header to earn Japan a deserved share of the spoils.

Viewers took to social media to vent their frustration. “What’s with the picture quality on ITV? Absolutely awful,” wrote one user. Another compared the experience to “watching on a 24-inch Granada rental in the early 80s,” while a third said the poor image quality had given them a headache and forced them to switch off.

Ceferin faces criticism from World Cup nations

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has drawn criticism from 13 nations competing at the World Cup after he publicly questioned the quality of matches in the expanded 48-team tournament, with several federations pushing back against his characterisation of the competition.