The former AFC Leopards and Posta Rangers custodian was overlooked for the fixtures against Zimbabwe and Namibia. During the Group J fixtures, Kenya drew 1-1 against the Warriors of Zimbabwe and 0-0 against the Brave Warriors of Namibia.
The game against Zimbabwe ended Kenya’s slim hopes of qualifying for the AFCON tournament in Morocco as the Warriors earned the ticket alongside table leaders Cameroon.
Before the two matches, coach Firat had dropped Matasi from the squad for the two-legged 2024 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier against South Sudan.
Though Kenya have already qualified by virtue of being the co-host, they failed to beat the Brights Stars who won the first leg 2-0 in Juba before a 1-1 draw in the return leg saw South Sudan win the battle 3-1 on aggregate.
I didn’t like what happened
In an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Matasi opened up about his tribulations with the former Moldova coach blaming him for tarnishing his career.
“In terms of my career, I think things were not moving on well, especially from CAF to the national team and what happened in the national team, I think it was something that I didn’t like and I will just be open and tell you the truth,” Matasi told Flashscore.
“This season or this year, before the game against Zimbabwe which we drew 0-0, we had played eight matches, scoring eight goals and conceding two goals against Burundi and against Zimbabwe during the Four Nation tournament.
“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?'
“Then he said I went to the camp relaxed knowing that I was the one going to start but I told him '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.”
Matasi continued: “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.”
Firat wanted to tarnish my career
Matasi called out Firat for his decision to rest the best players during their matchday three fixture against the five-time African champions which Kenya lost 4-0 in Douala.
“Then the next call-up was against Cameroon so we prepared then we went to Cameroon without the coach showing who is going to start, so in the morning they didn’t even decide who was going to start,” explained Matasi.
“After that (during the pre-match talk) I just saw my name there, I was starting the game, so what I knew was this coach was going to f*** up my career, and I told him the truth: 'Coach, I know what you have done, you want to f*** up my career with this match, why are you taking your weapons to the bench then you start with the small boys, who can’t even handle the pressure?'”
Matasi admitted that it was not good to concede four goals against Cameroon. “It wasn’t good because for me letting in the four goals (but) I took it positively, I told the coach 'You have already tarnished my career through this game, I am okay.'
"I handled the pressure, I knew what Kenyans will say, they will abuse me, they will abuse my family, they will abuse me (for) what happened, until one of the fans came to my timeline and told me how he wished the accident I got in 2021 would have killed my family.”
I will make a comeback
During the second fixture against Cameroon at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda, Matasi believes Firat’s plan to tarnish his career was out there for everyone to see because he started his best squad. Matasi was dropped in the game with Bandari FC goalkeeper Bryne Omondi replacing him and Kenya went on to lose 1-0.
“He started all his weapons, all of them (who were benched against Cameroon) started the game, he started his strong team,” explained Matasi.
“So I told him 'It is okay, my head is up and at the end of the day when I go back to the club I will perform and maybe when I am given another chance I will come back to the national team.'”
On whether he knew his name would be omitted from the last two qualifiers against Zimbabwe and Namibia, Matasi responded: “I knew it. 100 per cent, 100 per cent. And I was ready because I knew I was not going to get the call-up.
"You see what happened to Ian Otieno in Mali: after the four goals he was dropped, so I think Ian (Otieno) performed and came back to the national team. The same thing can happen to me, I am still active and I have no problem with his decision to omit me from the team.”
Asked whether Firat had set him up in the away game against Cameroon, Matasi said: “100 per cent against Cameroon, that is what he (Firat) wanted to do, and I took it positively.”
On whether Firat was making the right decisions or he had scores to settle with some players because he doesn’t like them, Matasi said: “First of all, you know what happens in the camp remains in the camp but for me, I think when your child wants to tell you the truth sometimes parents don’t accept it.”
On how he manages to handle online pressure from the fans, Matasi explained: “You know one thing Kenyans don’t know, I am not the one running that page (Facebook) so they are talking to someone else, so normally I don’t know what is happening there. That is someone handling that job, so most of the comments I see the positive ones but those ones coming to my inbox I deal with them.
“When I started my career, I started at AFC Leopards, and you know the pressure of playing at AFC, so I can handle the pressure.”
