In a travel nightmare familiar to many, a professional footballer's international career was put on hold by a simple household appliance. Paraguay midfielder Andres Cubas was forced to miss two crucial international friendlies after his passport met an untimely end in a washing machine.
The Laundry Day Catastrophe
The unfortunate incident unfolded in Canada, where Cubas plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps. The player inadvertently left his passport in a pair of trousers, which were then put through a wash cycle. The damaged document rendered him unable to travel for Paraguay's matches against the United States and Mexico.
His father, Francisco Cubas, explained the comical yet costly mistake to Paraguay's ABC TV. "He messed up, he forgot it in his trousers," the senior Cubas stated. "And well, the lady who works there didn't notice either and they put them in the washing machine. He's really annoyed."
Race Against Time for a Replacement
While Cubas managed to secure a new passport, the bureaucratic process that followed proved insurmountable in the short time available. He could not complete the visa process required to leave Canada in time to join his national team.
This administrative delay meant he was absent for both of Paraguay's international friendlies. The team suffered a 2-1 loss to the United States on Saturday and then secured a 2-1 victory over Mexico on Tuesday without their midfielder.
South American Qualification Context
The news comes as the South American football landscape solidifies. World champions Argentina were the first team from the CONMEBOL region to qualify for the next World Cup, having guaranteed a top-six finish back in March. They finished top of the ten-team group, a commanding nine points ahead of second-placed Ecuador.
The top six teams, which secured automatic qualification, were:
- Argentina
- Ecuador
- Colombia
- Uruguay
- Brazil
- Paraguay
Bolivia snatched the playoff place by finishing seventh after a 1-0 victory over Brazil in their final qualifier. Meanwhile, Venezuela, Chile, and Peru missed out on qualification entirely.
