Uganda Cranes defender Elio Capradossi’s international future is becoming increasingly uncertain after he was again omitted from coach Paul Joseph Putt’s latest squad.
Putt has attributed the defender’s absence to injury, but the circumstances surrounding Capradossi’s latest omission are likely to keep the debate alive, particularly after a difficult period in which his place in the national team has become less certain.
Capradossi was not involved when Uganda played at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, despite being part of the squad that helped the Cranes qualify for the tournament.
At the time, there were reports that Capradossi had been involved in a heated disagreement with Fufa officials over promised payments to the players following qualification.
The federation was reportedly unhappy with the players’ demand for the money, with the situation allegedly being viewed as indiscipline. However, people who were in the Cranes camp at the time offered a different explanation for his absence.
They indicated that Capradossi had suffered an injury while training ahead of the group game against Tunisia. That episode has continued to hang over his international career, although there has never been an official confirmation that the defender was dropped because of the payment dispute.
The latest development has raised fresh questions. Putt says Capradossi is injured, but on Monday, September 7, the defender was named among the substitutes for his Romanian
club Universitatea Cluj in their 0-4 top-flight defeat.
Uganda’s latest squad was announced two days later. Whether Capradossi was carrying an injury, recovering from one or simply not ready for international duty remains unclear.
Capradossi is not the only notable absentee from the latest squad. Salim Jamal, Uche Ikpeazu, John Paul Dembe, Rogers Bobosi Byaruhanga and Jude Ssemugabi were also left out.
Putt explained that some of the players are currently without clubs or have recently completed transfers and therefore lack sufficient playing time. Others, he said, have only recently returned from lengthy injuries and are yet to regain full match rhythm.
For Capradossi, however, the issue carries greater significance because of his previous importance to the Cranes and the circumstances surrounding his last major international
involvement.
Uganda now turns to a demanding international window, beginning with an away meeting against Tunisia on September 24, followed by Libya in Hoima on September 29. The Cranes will then face DR Congo in two friendly matches on October 2 and 5.
Four matches offer Putt an opportunity to reshape his squad and test alternatives. They also leave Capradossi with a narrowing window to convince the coach that he still belongs in Uganda’s plans.
For now, Putt’s official explanation is injury. But with Capradossi repeatedly absent, the bigger question is whether this is merely another temporary setback—or the beginning of the end of his Cranes journey.
Why not ask Capradossi himself?
Don’t you have his contacts?
The Cranes’ problems at AFCON were due to FUFA’s incompetence. While some of the players are to blame for the timing, FUFA made amateur mistakes on many levels.
Some of FUFA’s mistakes:
1. Destabilizing the squad:They disrupted a settled team that had already qualified for AFCON by making too many changes—including to the coaching staff—so close to the tournament.
2. Dropping Sam Simbwa: Letting Simbwa go was a massive mistake. They should have bent over backwards to keep him for AFCON. His record with the Cranes is far better than that of FUFA’s preferred Ugandan coaches. The younger coach could have joined the staff as an addition to share ideas. Ultimately, you do not destabilize the coaching crew and the players at the same time right before a major tournament.
3. Overusing CHAN players: They selected too many players who had competed in CHAN just a few months prior. Tournament fatigue is real, even for physically fit young players. In fact, younger players need to be protected from burnout. There are exceptions, of course, like the 17-year-old who played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup and went on to AFCON. That lad is mature for his age and was there simply to enjoy himself and play his game. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad had other agendas and took themselves too seriously.
4. Mishandling bonuses: Naturally, the AFCON players complained about bonuses after the CHAN team received hefty payouts. To rub salt into the wound, those same CHAN players then joined the AFCON squad. This felt like an insult to the players who had put their bodies on the line to qualify for the AFCON tournament in the first place.
There is more, but those were the major issues. I hope the experience didn’t scar the younger players. Ugandan players need to learn to play the game without fear—train hard, and just have fun on match day. Don’t take yourselves so seriously that you choke under pressure. After all, the best part of winning a tournament is the journey, not the awards (cash, cup or medals) at the end.