KAMPALA – With Ugandans back at home in limbo about what is taking place in Egypt as their beloved Cranes refused to train on Tuesday evening, they have been handed a glimmer of hope.
The Cranes players did not turn up for their mandatory session sighting that they had not been paid some of their allowances.
One of them who spoke to Football 256 said;
“We are not training today (Tuesday), we need our allowances.
“You guys (journalists) report that we have been cleared yet in actual sense, we have not.
“So we are putting our tools down until something is done.
Hours after the players refused to train, FUFA came out and clarified on the matter, claiming they do not owe them (players) any money.
According to the statement released by the Federation, they claim to have paid the team all their allowances that are in the ‘code of conduct’, which each player signed before entering camp.
The Federation also alleges that an extra $2780 was paid to each individual for the international friendly against Ivory Coast, one that Uganda won 1-0 a few days to the tournament.
The whole total amounts to $14,600 (App UGX 55m), the money FUFA claims to have paid each player as of Tuesday, June 02th, 2019.
FUFA said that they do not owe any player any money and claim to have explained the situation to them (players) who in turn opted to renegotiate the ‘Code of Conduct’ after qualifying to the round of 16, leading to the decision not to train on Tuesday.
Despite all this, PML Daily has learnt that the players will get back to training on Wednesday evening at the Cairo International Stadium.
“I can assure you that they are going to train this evening, said a FUFA Official when approached by this website.
The official who prefered anonymity also expressed his disgust about how the media has handled the situation.
“I am not going to talk about the situation further but you can talk to the players who have been giving you information that you have published in your media houses.
It is understood that FUFA Officials have held several meetings, some with players, as the two parties look to come to an understanding in time for the round of 16 clash, on Friday.
Whether the two parties have reached an agreement so far, remains to be seen but attempts to talk to one of the senior players yielded no positive results.
“I am not talking about the situation in camp to the media, said the player on a phone conversation with PML Daily.
Despite all that is going on, the team is expected to resume preparations this evening at the Cairo International Stadium at 7pm (EAT).
The Cranes finished second in Group B of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with four points, setting up a meeting with Senegal in the next round.
