Why Matasi is surprised by Harambee Stars call up

Kenya Police goalkeeper Patrick Matasi reveals he was pleasantly ‘surprised’ to have been recalled for the March 28 international friendly match between Harambee Stars and Iran in Tehran.

Matasi who has just completed his move to the law keepers from Tusker said a lot had happened in the last two years and was therefore not expecting to return to the team.

“There is a lot that has happened in the background over the last two years that I cannot talk about in public. It was therefore a big surprise for me to be recalled,” he said.

Matasi said they expect a tough match against Iran given the pedigree of their players.

Harambee Stars brace for friendly against highly ranked Iran

“They were in the World Cup so it means their players have tested the highest level of competition and may be tempted to look down on us. But we have what it takes to get something from them and we will give it our best shot. We also have a lot to prove on our side,” he said.

He has also asked local fans to be patient with the squad that has been called-up considering that they are coming back after almost two years in the wilderness.

“It will not be easy. We were somewhere two years ago and then the ban threw us off guard. Now we have to restart the whole process again. Iam therefore calling on our fans to be patient and support all those who have been called-up. We will need sometime to get back to where we were and but we shall get there beginning with this match against Iran. We have other matches coming up but this one is very important as it will determine our trajectory.”

Kenya will take on Iran after missing an opportunity to play Burundi who opted to take on Indonesia instead.

Apart from Matasi other goalkeepers called up for the match against Iran include Ian Otieno, Bryan Odhiambo and Levis Opiyo.

Matasi indebted to Tusker for offering him platform to resuscitate career