Brian Wanyama
- Harambee Stars keeper Patrick Matasi has said that coach Engin Firat threw him under the bus during their AFCON Qualifier match against Cameroon
- Patrick Matasi has accused Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat of destroying his career, accusing him of setting him up to fail during the recently completed 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
In an honest and passionate statement, the 36-year-old custodian detailed his disagreement with national team head coach Engin Firat.
Matasi was sidelined during crucial matches against Zimbabwe and Namibia in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
Speaking on Thursday, Matasi did not mince words as he revealed the hostility and mistrust that had grown between him and Firat.
“When we started the AFCON qualifiers in Uganda, I didn’t know what happened until coach Engin (Firat) did not want to field me, so after the game I questioned him. I gave him the facts and told him ‘Coach, I have played eight matches, scored eight goals and two goals conceded, that is a good performance and last game against Ivory Coast in Malawi I produced a clean sheet, What happened?’
‘No, if you see on the first day in camp that am relaxed, call me and tell me that this and this is not happening, do this and do that’ but he didn’t do that.”
“I deserved to play against Zimbabwe and against Namibia but I don’t know what came through Firat’s head and I didn’t like it because he told me that I came to the camp relaxed, so I asked him, I questioned him – ‘call me, tell me that today I have seen in this training you are like this and I want you to do this as a coach.’
“After that, we went to South Africa and I was like the talking point in the team. After that I just told him I have a big name, I have a brand, you don’t know where I came from and you don’t know what I did to make this brand be where it is, so I told him it is okay, for me I will be okay, you are the decision maker and I don’t have a problem with that.”
