Bolivia’s national football team faced a night of uncertainty and tension in Venezuela after the regime of Nicolás Maduro blocked the departure of their charter flight from Maturín Airport, preventing their return home without offering any official explanation.
Around midnight, players and coaching staff were forced to leave the airport and head back to their hotel after hours of waiting for clearance that never came. The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) confirmed that the team had all necessary documentation in order, yet Venezuelan authorities denied permission for the plane to take off.
Head coach Óscar Villegas acknowledged that the situation hadn’t come as a complete surprise. “We already knew. We spoke with the Minister of Government a week ago and asked him to intervene with the Venezuelan government to avoid these kinds of obstacles,” he said. Villegas also stressed the urgent need for the players to rest, both in Venezuela and upon their return to Bolivia, given the emotional and physical toll of the ordeal.
Logistics and security coordinator Harold Howard was more direct, describing the incident as a clear act of hostility and sabotage. “They claim there’s heavy air traffic, but only two planes were landing,” he said.
The situation dragged into the early hours of Saturday. At 2:00 a.m., the FBF reported that the delegation was still stranded, with no clearance to depart. The flight had been scheduled to land in La Paz around 5:00 a.m., but the unexpected hold-up disrupted the team’s logistics, including a planned training session later that same day in preparation for Tuesday’s match against Chile in El Alto.
Journalists traveling with the team echoed the uncertainty and frustration. “We don’t know what’s happening—we’re heading back to the hotel,” one reported at 1:42 a.m.
The incident sparked outrage not only within the sports delegation but also in Bolivia’s political circles. Leaders and officials demanded explanations and called for immediate intervention by national authorities in response to what they labeled as yet another abuse by the Maduro regime.
This episode adds to a series of irregularities Bolivia faced during this FIFA international window. Earlier in the week, the match date had been unilaterally changed by Venezuela—from its original Thursday schedule to a last-minute Friday fixture—further complicating Bolivia’s logistics.
On the pitch, Bolivia fell 2–0 to the Vinotinto at the Monumental Stadium in Maturín. A defensive blunder allowed Venezuela to open the scoring early, and Salomón Rondón doubled the lead before the half-hour mark. The home team dominated the match, energized by their fans, while Bolivia rarely posed a threat to the Venezuelan goal.
The result solidified Venezuela’s position in seventh place with 18 points—good enough for a playoff berth in World Cup qualifying. Bolivia, on the other hand, has now gone eight matches without a win and sees its hopes of returning to a World Cup for the first time in 32 years slipping further out of reach.
