Uganda Cranes’ preparations for their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations opener were thrown into disarray over the weekend after the team dramatically cancelled a scheduled training session at the Stade Olympique Annexe in Rabat on Saturday, Footy-Africa exclusively reports.
The Cranes were due to take to the pitch at 4:00pm local time (6:00pm EAT). Head coach Paul Put and his technical team arrived on time and even laid out training equipment on the field, signalling that the session would proceed as planned.
However, moments later, the atmosphere shifted abruptly. The equipment was hastily removed, bags were packed, and the entire delegation returned to the waiting vehicle before heading back to the team hotel, without a single drill conducted.
Subsequent information obtained by Footy-Africa revealed that the training boycott was a deliberate act by players protesting delays in the payment of their AFCON qualification bonuses.
According to reliable sources, each player was expected to receive up to USD 10,000 for successfully steering Uganda to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals, with individual payouts adjusted based on the number of matches played during the qualification campaign. However, the funds have not yet been disbursed.
FUFA is understood to have informed the players that the responsibility for releasing the money lies with the government, and that payment has not yet been made. Efforts to defuse the situation on Friday proved unsuccessful, as a meeting between the FUFA President and the squad reportedly ended without agreement.
Tensions escalated further on Saturday when players held three internal meetings and unanimously resolved to register their dissatisfaction by refusing to train.
Coach Paul Put, speaking briefly as he left the stadium, confirmed that the team had been instructed to return to the hotel and acknowledged that the matter directly involved the players. The Belgian tactician conceded that the disruption had significantly affected preparations, particularly with a daunting Group C opener against 2004 champions Tunisia looming on Tuesday, December 23.
The incident has drawn uncomfortable parallels with Uganda’s AFCON 2019 campaign in Egypt, when players similarly boycotted two training sessions over unpaid bonuses ahead of their Round of 16 clash with Senegal. That standoff was never fully resolved, and the Cranes went on to suffer a narrow 1–0 defeat to the Lions of Teranga.
AFCON 2025. Tunisia – Uganda, where to watch the match, preview
With Tunisia now just under 48 hours away, the hope within the camp is that the latest bonus impasse can be resolved swiftly to prevent history from repeating itself on the continental stage.
