Kimanzi comes clean on why he dropped Matasi from his squad
Harambee Stars coach Francis Kimanzi has revealed his worries over the physical shape of his first-choice goalkeeper, Patrick Matasi.
Kimanzi, who omitted the St George keeper from his squad to face Mozambique in an international friendly in Nairobi on October 13, says this decision was influenced by Matasi’s dip in form.
“Against Uganda (in another friendly last month) Matasi had a very bad game, he was not in good form and he almost cost us defeat. He has only been training with AFC Leopards to keep fit and you cannot compare his performance with Ian (Otieno) at the moment,” Kimanzi told Goal.com.
“I want to see what the other keepers can offer in the absence of Matasi.”
Otieno currently plies his trade for Red Arrows in the Zambian Premier League.
The other keepers called up for the assignment are Farouk Shikalo, who plays for Yanga in the Tanzanian league and Ulinzi’s Timothy Odhiambo.
Besides Matasi, Kimanzi also excluded a host of first-team stars from his squad, including pacy winger Ayub Timbe, Simba’s Francis Kahata, and the local-based duo Michael Kibwage and Boniface Muchiri.
Kimanzi appears to be in rebuilding mode as he prepares a team to face Egypt and Togo in the opening matches of the 2021 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers in November.