Oscar Tabarez's lengthy reign as Uruguay manager is over.

The Uruguay Football Association confirmed on Friday that the 74-year-ol Tabarez, who had been at the helm of the program since February of 2006, was out. Tabarez had led Uruguay to the 2011 Copa America title.

"We emphatically express that this decision does not imply ignoring the important contribution of Tabarez to Uruguayan soccer," the Uruguay Football Association said in a statement. "We salute and acknowledge the fundamental sporting achievements obtained in these 15 years, which once again placed Uruguay in the top places in world football."

The move comes with Uruguay sitting seventh in CONMEBOL qualifying on 16 points. The top four teams qualify for Qatar 2022 automatically with the fifth-place team set for an intercontinental playoff to earn a berth. Brazil and Argentina have already secured berths with four matches remaining.

Uruguay is winless in its last five qualifiers, including a 1-0 loss to Argentina and a 3-0 defeat to Bolivia in the last week.

This was Tabarez's second stint as manager. He previously led Uruguay from 1988 to 1990 and also coached the Uruguay entry at the 2012 London Olympics.

Under Tabarez, Uruguay reached the last three World Cups and finished in fourth-place at South Africa 2010. At Russia 2018, Uruguay fell to eventua champions France in the quarterfinals.

The team returns to qualifying on Jan. 27 at Paraguay before returning home to host Venezuela on Feb. 1.