Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Put has delivered a blistering assessment of FIFA’s decision to delay the release of international players for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, warning that the move has thrown Uganda’s entire preparation plan into disarray.
FIFA recently adjusted the mandatory release date to December 15, a shift Put says has dismantled the structure and rhythm he had carefully designed for the Cranes’ pre-tournament programme.
“Most coaches are not happy with the decision by FIFA because normally, it’s two weeks before the tournament starts that you have your players from clubs to prepare,” Put said, clearly irritated by the sudden change.
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He revealed that the new timeline leaves the national team with only a fraction of the squad available for the opening stages of camp, precisely the period earmarked for tactical refinement and crucial friendly fixtures.
“Now suddenly, a few days ago, we received a message from FIFA that we can only have the players abroad on the 16th or 17th December. That’s not a good scenario. I was hoping to get all the players on time,” he noted.
The Belgian coach added that the timing of the release will compromise Uganda’s two warm-up matches, fixtures that were expected to provide opportunities to test combinations, adjust systems and make final squad decisions.
“So we are going to have half of the team here to prepare until the 16th or 17th. That’s the period we have two friendly games which could have given us a chance to change a few things on the team, but now I cannot because I will not have all the players,” he explained.
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“With this situation, it’s very difficult to make good preparations with the boys we have. So we have about 15 players, and it’s a situation we have to deal with. All the plans we had made on how we would prepare the team are now very far from reality.”
Even with the setback, the Cranes camp has slowly begun to take shape. A group of foreign-based players, Rogers Mato, Isaac Muleme, Salim Jamal, Bobosi Byaruhanga, Jude Ssemugabi and Travis Mutyaba, are already training with the team. Captain Khalid Aucho and goalkeeper Nafian Alionzi linked up with the squad on Tuesday.
However, several Europe-based players including Toby Sibick, Jordan Obita, Timothy Awany and Alhassan Baba will report later than anticipated due to the newly extended release window.
Uganda is scheduled to face Morocco’s FAR Rabat and AFCON-bound Gabon in warm-up games before diving into a demanding group stage campaign against Tunisia, Tanzania and Nigeria.
