Uganda Coach Paul Put Slams FIFA Over Late Player Release Ahead of AFCON 2025

Uganda national team head coach Paul Put has openly criticised FIFA following its recent decision allowing clubs to retain their players until just one week before the kickoff of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Put revealed that national teams had prepared their training schedules based on a two-week preseason camp, only to be informed “a few days ago” that foreign-based players would now be available much later—on 16 or 17 December.

The sudden change, he said, has forced Uganda to revisit its training plans, squad preparation, and scheduled friendly matches, creating significant disruption as the tournament draws near.

“First of all, I think all the coaches aren’t happy with FIFA’s decision,” Put said. “Normally, we agreed that two weeks before the start of the tournament, you can have your players to prepare.

“But suddenly, a few days ago, we received a message from FIFA that we can only have the players who play abroad on the 16th or 17th of December. It’s not a good scenario because we had calculated and hoped to get the players together on the 8th. Now, we will only have half of the team available until the 16th or 17th.”