Uganda has named the controversial Belgian, Paul Put, as the new national coach to replace Milutin Sredojevic, who was dismissed last month, according to football officials on Thursday.
The 67-year-old Put, whose career has been marred by controversy, including allegations of match-fixing, was one of 120 coaches who applied for the position.
Serbian coach Sredojevic was dismissed from his position following the Uganda Cranes’ inability to secure qualification for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has announced that they have reached an agreement on a two-year contract.
“Coach Paul Put helped Burkina Faso reach the final of AFCON in 2013, guided Guinea to a quarterfinal finish and also helped The Gambia to qualify for AFCON,” FUFA chief Moses Magogo said at a press conference in Kampala.
“With such a CV, we believe the coach will do a good job here.”
In 2008, Paul Put received a three-year suspension from Belgium’s football federation due to his alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal, although he has consistently maintained that he was unjustly made a scapegoat.
Guinea, during his tenure as head coach of their national team, imposed a lifetime ban on him from all football-related activities in 2019.
Paul Put will assume the role of the Cranes’ head coach with immediate effect, just in time for the commencement of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers this month.
Uganda is scheduled to face Guinea in the inaugural Group G qualifying match in Conakry on November 17.
The other teams in this group include the former African champions, Algeria, along with Botswana, Mozambique, and Somalia.
