Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has strongly criticized the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and its CEO, Harold Ndege, over the handling of goalkeeper Patrick Matasi’s match-fixing allegations.Speaking to Flashscore, Shimanyula made it clear that he was not defending Matasi’s alleged misconduct but expressed concern over what he termed as FKF’s “rushed” and “unfounded” disciplinary actions.##NAJAVA_MECA_8842559##“I’m not here to defend Matasi if he did anything wrong, but FKF’s CEO Harold Ndege is not well-informed. He’s only good at writing letters,” Shimanyula said. “They acted prematurely, without gathering sufficient evidence.”Shimanyula, a well-known figure in Kenyan football, took issue with how the Federation moved to sanction Matasi, accusing them of compromising the player’s career without concrete proof.“I knew from the moment that viral video surfaced that FKF didn’t have solid grounds. The court’s decision to overturn their sanctions says it all. The court even asked those with evidence of Matasi fixing matches to present it officially,” he stated, as quoted by Flashscore.Ambrose Rachier secures another term as Gor Mahia chairmanFollowing the emergence of the secretly recorded footage allegedly involving Matasi, FKF swiftly imposed a ban and announced that they had engaged both the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate the matter.But Shimanyula believes FKF overreached.“Was it necessary to involve the DCI when FKF hadn’t even collected basic evidence? What exactly are they expecting DCI to uncover now?” he questioned.“Harold [Ndege] doesn’t seem to understand football governance. He may go down as the worst FKF CEO in history if this continues.”Odemba applauds Ivory Coast friendlies as Starlets eye historic WAFCON returnMatasi, who featured for Tusker FC in the FKF Premier League, found himself at the center of controversy after a hidden-camera video allegedly showed him negotiating a match-fixing deal.The video, secretly filmed from behind a car seat, remains unverified, and Matasi has denied being the person in the footage or having any knowledge of the meeting.##NAJAVA_MECA_8841766##The 36-year-old made his debut for the Harambee Stars in 2017 and earned 35 caps before being dropped from the national team following Kenya’s 4-1 loss to Cameroon in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.Coach Babu: We’re set for Afcon challengeDespite the public backlash and legal scrutiny, Matasi’s fate remains uncertain as investigations continue and pressure mounts on FKF to act with more diligence and transparency in such sensitive cases.
