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The former Kenyan international has agreed with Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat’s move on the Kenya Police man while picking his favourite goalkeeper for the upcoming matches.
Former Kenyan international Elijah Onsika has backed the decision by Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat to drop goalkeeper Patrick Matasi for their upcoming matches against Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Kenya take on Zimbabwe and Namibia, both in South Africa, in matches they must win while hoping results elsewhere are in their favour, to secure passage into next year’s tournament in Morocco.
Firat unveiled his squad for the matches this week and Matasi was among the big names who were dropped, the tactician roping in KCB goalkeeper Farouk Shikalo in his place as he joins Bryne Omondi of Bandari and Ian Otieno, who plays for Richards Bay in South Africa.
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12:13 - 09.11.2024
Harambee Stars: 6 notable absentees from Engin Firat's squad for must-win 2025 AFCON qualifiers
Engin Firat named his Harambee Stars squad for the must-win November 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Namibia and Zimbabwe but who are the big names that missed out?
The changes follow the blunders Matasi made during Kenya’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Cameroon last month before he was dropped for Omondi in the corresponding fixture, which Kenya lost 1-0.
“I believe he (Firat) made the right decision to drop Patrick (Matasi), we all know what he has been doing when given the opportunity to play and the two matches (against Zimbabwe and Namibia) need a focused goalkeeper if Kenya are to get something positive in their quest to qualify,” Onsika told Flashscore.
“You cannot be letting your team down whenever you start in a game, Matasi has been catastrophic, to say the least, and no one can trust him anymore. Remember Kenya needs to win both matches to stand a chance of qualifying for the AFCON and I think Firat’s decision is a brave one, he ought to have done it a long time ago but even now it is a good time to try other keepers.”
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16:19 - 09.11.2024
Ian Otieno reveals the goalkeeping great who inspires his pursuit of Richards Bay’s No.1 spot
Harambee Stars goalkeeper Ian Otieno has expressed admiration for a renowned goalkeeping figure and is determined to help Richards Bay reach the Carling Knockout final after last season's semifinal setback.
The former Kisumu Poster player says Matasi has wasted several opportunities to redeem himself and feels it is time for someone else in goal, backing Shikalo to start in the two crucial games.
“Matasi has been committing mistakes day in and day out and when given a chance to redeem himself, he goes ahead to repeat the same mistakes. He always commits schoolboy blunders that a top keeper needs not to. He should not complain about the move (to be axed) because he has been given enough time to prove himself but nothing positive comes out of him,” he added.
“Shikhalo has done good this season, he has been in top form helping KCB to keep the top spot in the league, he seems to have rediscovered his form and I know if given the opportunity by Firat, he will perform better.”
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15:45 - 14.10.2024
Patrick Matasi dropped as Engin Firat names strong starting line up for Cameroon reclash in Kampala
Firat has dropped Patrick Matasi following his error-prone performance against Cameroon in Douala, bringing back Byrne Omondi to the starting line up.
Kenya will face Zimbabwe at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on November 15 before a match against Namibia four days and must win both, hoping the Warriors fail to get maximum points against Cameroon, to return to AFCON for the first time since 2019.
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