Tunisia's "Carthage Eagles" begin their quest for a second title when they face Uganda, embroiled in a crisis over bonuses, on Tuesday (12:00 PM UAE time) at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, in the first round of Group B of the African Nations Cup in Morocco. After consistently reaching at least the quarter-finals (finishing fourth in the 2019 edition in Egypt), the "Eagles" were eliminated in the first round of the last edition in Ivory Coast. Tunisia, which has won one title to date on home soil in 2004 by defeating Morocco, has restored its balance and prestige in African and World Cup qualifiers, although it finished second behind the Comoros in the continental qualifiers. However, it returned with a mixed squad of first and second-choice players for the Arab Cup, exiting disappointingly in the first round. But coach Jalel Kadri, who faced fierce criticism after the "Arab Cup" in Doha, confirmed that the team's disappointing performance in Doha "will have no psychological or mental impact, and the best proof is the Algerian team, which won the last edition of the Arab Cup before exiting the African Nations Cup at the first round". He explained that each tournament is different and has its own peculiarities, stressing that the team's primary goal is "to successfully get past the first round by focusing on the first three matches". He added that every coach, official, or player participating in the African Nations Cup will want to reach the final stages of the competition. Coach Jalel Kadri's men will be under pressure to secure all three points, especially as the second match will be against the "giant" Nigeria. Boycott of training and financial demands. The Carthage Eagles will look to exploit the tense atmosphere within the Ugandan squad due to the players' boycott of training on Saturday in protest against the local federation for not paying bonuses for qualifying for the continental festival. According to several sources close to the Ugandan team, the players decided to boycott the training session after a tense meeting with federation president Moses Magogo regarding the payment of qualification bonuses, which they have not received despite repeated promises. They also demanded an increase in the amount to 6,000 euros per player. While coach Paul Put and his technical staff were preparing the pitch for a training session, seven players from the national team approached the coach on Saturday morning to inform him of the collective decision taken by all players to boycott the training, thus canceling the session and returning to the hotel. The Ugandan federation refuses to pay the bonuses, stating that it is the government's responsibility, according to several local media reports. This situation is not new for Uganda; in the 2019 edition, when the team was ranked 85th in the world, they boycotted two training sessions before facing Senegal in the round of 16 due to another dispute over unpaid bonuses. This crisis arose at a very sensitive time, three days before the match against Tunisia, as the absence from the collective training session could affect the Ugandan team's physical and tactical preparation as they face a major challenge in a strong group that also includes Nigeria and Tanzania. No official statements have been released from the federation or the technical staff regarding measures to calm the situation.
