Denis Onyango Slams Uganda Cranes Betrayal as he Responds to Rumours of Being Paid to Come Out of Retirement

Uganda Cranes’ legendary goalkeeper Denis Onyango has opened up on what he terms betrayal by some of his ex-teammates in the national team.

Onyango, who made a surprise return to the Cranes fold in September 2025 for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and played at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations, had retired from international football in 2022.

It was a surprise decision from head coach Paul Put, given he is now a bit-part player at his club Mamelodi Sundowns while there are a number of younger goalkeepers who have emerged but Onyango insists, he could not turn down a chance to play for his country and it was not about being paid as some alleged in Uganda.

“Show me anyone in Uganda that will give you money and keep quiet, it will eventually come out that you know we gave him money,” Onyango told the Pitchside Podcast.

“Money is not the biggest issue for me. I play for the biggest club on the continent at the moment and I play for one of the richest people on the continent.

“Money is not the issue, it is pride. Loving your nation because the national team has been there for me and I could not say no to an opportunity to play an AFCON or qualify us for the World Cup. I only returned because the nation needed me and the moment they say; ‘Denis you can go back to your retirement village,’ I am good to go,” he further stated.

Onyango has described what he considers betrayal from some of his ex-Cranes colleagues, who were not happy when he made his retirement U-turn. The 40-year-old says he was surprised by their reaction yet he had fought for them before.

“I know there are a lot of players, those I played with before, who would say he betrayed us, he came back but the same players I was fighting for to get money and be treated well are the same players that betrayed me,” he revealed.

“When we discuss things, they go behind me and say…so I never betrayed them, I was just doing my duty as a footballer. When someone says why did he go back to the national team? It is a national team, not a club. It is not owned by anyone,” Onyango maintained.

Having been captain for a long time before his international retirement, Onyango’s return did not just unsettle those he played with before but also the ones he found in the national team but the 12-time league winner in South Africa says he had a candid discussion with skipper Khalid Aucho to clear the air.

“I also had to speak to the captain Aucho, how does he feel when I am there and I told him; ‘look, I am not the captain.’ Even if he still calls me the captain, I told him I am not going to wear that armband when you are on the field and I made it clear with the coach that I am not going to wear the armband,” said Onyango

“Any decision that the team has to take, he is the leader. We had to agree on a few things and make sure everything is in line for the national team.”

Since returning to the Cranes last September, Onyango has played five of the nine matches Put’s team has featured in, including two World Cup qualifiers and a couple of AFCON 2025 games, starting four of them, and could play a part again in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, hoping to play at home when Uganda co-hosts next year’s tournament alongside Kenya and Tanzania.