Amid an investigation into the 37-year-old’s alleged match-fixing during his country’s 4-1 loss to Cameroon in their African Cup of Nations qualifier, Kenyan custodian Patrick Matasi has been suspended from all football-related activities in his nation.
Matasi, a 26-cap international, was in goal for the Harambee Stars in October when his country attempted to qualify for this year’s championship, but they lost 4-1 at Stade Omnisport da Douala, finishing second overall.
As Cameroon dominated to win Group J, Bryan Mbeumo and three of his countrymen scored goals. However, some of Matasi’s actions for the home team’s four goals raised questions. After the game, Engin Firat actually quit right away.
Kenyan Authorities Are Now Investigating Matasi
A statement has been issued by the Football Kenya Federation.
Marca claims via Mail Online that the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has now started looking into the stopper’s role after Matasi was approached by an anonymous caller to discuss a “plan” for the match at the end of 2024.
According to the statement, “The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) is aware of videos involving custodian Patrick Matasi that are circulating online, raising concerns about possible match manipulation.”
“In cooperation with FIFA, CAF, and other pertinent authorities, FKF has initiated an official investigation in order to uphold the integrity of football.” We are dedicated to preserving the legitimacy of our tournaments and reaffirm our zero-tolerance policy regarding match tampering.
Below, you can read the entire statement:
Statement on Match Manipulation Allegations pic.twitter.com/d98JCp5HW9
— Football Kenya Federation (@Football_Kenya) March 27, 2025
According to a BBC Sport article, Matasi’s case was successful after a video became viral after being uploaded online. It seemed to depict the goalie reaching an agreement to change the course of the game. According to reports, the video is unconfirmed and undated.
However, the highlights of Kenya’s loss have finally surfaced, and Matasi’s actions are undoubtedly perplexing. Vincent Aboubakar’s penalty, Cameroon’s first, is uncontested since he just dove the wrong way, giving the home team a 1-0 lead eight minutes into the game.
Matasi seemed to get out of the way before palming the ball into his own net, but Martin Hongla’s effort, which was apparently easy to save, doubled Cameroon’s lead. Mbeumo, one of the top wingers in the Premier League, scored Cameroon’s third goal, but it was also controversial.
The Brentford player arrived at the back post, grabbed a ball, and smashed it into the box. Matasi, who did little to stop his attack, was easily defeated. In the 55th minute, Christian Bassogo completed the scoring, and Matasi was once again at fault.
Before the goal-scoring Bassogo chased down the loose ball, beat the roving glove bearer and tapped it into an open net to give the Indomitable Lions a 4-1 lead, he dashed off his line to collect a pass.
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