Cristian Rodriguez was the surprise absentee in Uruguay's 26-man preliminary World Cup squad named by coach Oscar Washington Tabarez.
Porto wing Rodriguez, 24, still has to complete a two-game ban for being sent off during the last qualifier against Argentina, so Tabarez decided not to make him complete the suspension in South Africa.
Tabarez, set to name 30 players instead of 26, selected most players who were involved in qualifying, but Egidio Arevalo-Rios (Penarol), Alvaro Gonzalez (Nacional) and Jorge Rodriguez (River Plate of Uruguay) were surprising inclusions and three of the four home-based players alongside Defensor Sporting goalkeeper Martin Silva.
Source: PA
