By Piers Edwards BBC Sport

Fufa chief Denis Obua presides over a financially-troubled federation

Uganda are to travel to Angola for their Olympic qualifier this weekend without regular coach Charles Namakola in an attempt to cut down on costs.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) intends to send a squad of just 12 players and two officials owing to what a Fufa official described as 'acute financial problems'.

Two goalkeepers have been named in the travelling party and the side will be coached by Jackson Mayanja, a former Uganda international who has been assistant coach of the under-23 team.

Olympic standings

Uganda have just one point from four matches in their group and no chance of qualifying for the tournament in Athens later this year.

Fufa said it wanted to continue its commitment in the tournament despite a precarious financial situation and had decided on the cost-cutting measure.

Don't be surprised if we do not travel to Angola UFA general secretary Haruna Mawanda

Yet the Fufa general secretary has told BBC Sport that funds are so short that even the prospect of sending just twelve players is in danger.

"We have yet to find the money to cover the costs of the twelve players," Haruna Mawanda said.

"Don't be surprised if we don't travel to Angola."

Mawanda revealed that the federation is hoping to find backing from private individuals and companies as a way of covering the cost of the trip.

Fufa currently suffers from having no sponsor and is relying on a US $250,000 grant from football's world governing body Fifa to run its operations.

Yet these funds are insufficient to cover the association's debts, and when Fufa received its first instalment from Fifa in January most of the money was used to pay off debts from 2003.

Mawanda is hoping the Ugandan government can come to the rescue.

"The government has a positive attitude towards supporting Ugandan football but the funding has yet to come," the general secretary explained.

"We hope the government is going to give us money in the new financial year, and we're hoping for a reasonable cut."

Fufa will have to wait for at least four months before discovering whether the government backs them as the Ugandan financial year runs from July to June.

The amount of backing the Fufa receives will be key to Uganda's hopes of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup and Nations Cup.

The Cranes have been drawn in qualiying Group 2 alongside South Africa, DR Congo, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Cape Verde.