"It is inhumane to play in El Alto"said Venezuela’s coach, ‘Bocha’ Batista

Venezuela’s coach, Argentine Fernando Batista, considered this Monday “inhuman” to play at 4,150 meters above sea level in El Alto, where the Vinotinto lost 4-0 against Bolivia, a setback that ishopes to put Tuesday’s home game against Uruguay behind them.

“It was a tough blow because we wanted to get a better result. I can tell you, after a few days, that the truth is that it is inhumane to play there. It is inhumane, although I said that there should be no excuses,” ‘Bocha’ Batista commented at a press conference on the eve of the Venezuela-Uruguay match for the eighth date of the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, at the Monumental Stadium in Maturín.

“This person who is speaking twice had to go to the locker room to inhale oxygen “because he was drowning. There were players who came out feeling dizzy,” said the coach about the experience in El Alto, the new venue for Bolivia instead of its traditional home in La Paz, at an altitude of about 3,600 metres.

Batista stressed that he has the entire squad for the match against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay, despite the wear and tear suffered, and assured that “the illusion” is “intact”.

“How can we not have the illusion intact? The match against Uruguay will be as important as the last seven matches that have brought us into the qualification zone,” he said.