Tabarez fears Uruguay will struggle to match achievements of 2010

Diego Forlan, Uruguay's star of the tournament, adorns a poster below the window of a fan in the country's capital of Montevideo. Forlan, like many of the squad, plies his trade in Europe.

CAPE TOWN // Uruguay's performance in reaching the last four at the World Cup has been an extraordinary struggle against the odds and keeping the tiny South American country among football's elite could prove even more difficult. In fact, it is possible that Uruguay, beaten 3-2 by Holland in Tuesday's semi-final, might not even qualify for the next World Cup in neighbouring Brazil in 2014 given the difficulties they face.

Some pundits have sneered at Uruguay, pointing out that they beat Ghana in the quarter-finals after Luis Suarez stopped a goalbound shot with his hand on the line with seconds remaining in extra time that would have undoubtedly sent the Black Stars through, but there has been much to admire as they exceeded expectations. Although Uruguay won the World Cup twice back in the early days of the tournament in 1930 and 1950, today, the country can barely support a professional league.

Few first division matches attract more than a couple of thousand fans and many of the stadiums would not be considered fit for even semi-professional football in many European countries. Penarol and Nacional, who once dominated South America's Copa Libertadores, are no longer feared on the continent and a Uruguayan club has not won the trophy since 1988. The only way out for most young Uruguayan players is the airport. The lucky few end up in Europe, but the country also exports dozens to Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia.

Oscar Tabarez, the national team coach who also led La Celeste to the last 16 at the 1990 World Cup, sees his players only a few times a year and has warned frequently that the differences between countries such as Uruguay and rich European nations are growing. He has said that European countries are snapping up Uruguayan players at a young age, sometimes in their mid-teens, and although the country produces players at an impressive rate, it does not have the chance to develop them.

Before Tuesday's game, a philosophical Tabarez said it would be impossible for Uruguay to stay among the elite, even if they won the World Cup. "It would be utopian to think of Uruguay's permanence at the summit ... but we can believe in circumstantial results," he said. Uruguay played a major role in turning football into an international sport, winning the 1924 and 1928 Olympic tournaments with a short-passing game which had never been seen before in Europe.

They were also at the forefront as the World Cup became a reality, hosting and winning the first tournament in 1930 at the Centenario stadium which is still used for their home games. After winning again in 1950, other larger nations equalled their technical ability and, with such a small population, they fell behind. At one stage, they became synonymous with rough play and gamesmanship, something which Tabarez and his immediate predecessors have worked hard to wipe out.

Uruguay almost missed out on South Africa altogether. They faced elimination when they trailed 1-0 to Ecuador at altitude in their penultimate qualifier but hit back to win 2-1. That earned them a play-off against Costa Rica which they scraped through 2-1 on aggregate to qualify for only the second time since 1990. With competition in South America so intense, just getting to Brazil in four years time will once again be a huge challenge.

"The qualifiers are torture, the finals are a party," said Tabarez. * Reuters