Robert Matano reflects on six-year second stint at Tusker

Robert Matano reflects on six-year second stint at Tusker

Mark Kinyanjui 15:00 - 28.07.2024

Matano left Tusker after a six-year second stint at the club to return to Sofapaka earlier this month.

Former Tusker coach Robert Matano has reflected back on his six-year second stint at the club after he departed following the expiry of his contract earlier this month.

Matano spent six years at the club having returned in 2018, and was able to win two league titles with them, one in 2020/2021 and the other in the 2021/2022 season, even though the latter was voided by the reinstated Football Kenya Federation National Executive Council back in late November 2022.

Matano, who found himself at loggerheads with the management a couple of times despite bringing that club the success that it got, returned to Batoto Ba Mungu on a short-term contract for next season.

Reflecting on his last stint with The Brewers to the media following the FKF awards gala at the Safari Park Hotel last Friday, Matano pointed out the highs and lows of coaching in Ruaraka.

“I am happy. I found Tusker 14th in the league on just eight points and I brought them back up. My worst ever position as Tusker coach was runners-up. I am so happy that I managed to stabilize them,” Matano stated.

“I won two titles with the club, and it was almost four times if we can say so. The FKF nullified another, but I am happy to have achieved what I did for them.”

In 2022, Matano threatened to quit the club citing indifferences with the club’s management. He did manage to stay on for two more seasons, but in his last one at the club, he infamously was involved in a spat with chairman Robert Gacheru, and it looked inevitable that he would not be extending his stay with the club.

“I left because my time was up. My contract ended. I cannot regret it because I did whatever I could while I was there. I feel very happy.”

Although Matano has heaped praise on the Tusker management for taking care of player and staff welfare in terms of payment of salaries, he has challenged the club to invest more into other aspects of the club if they are to progress as a modern-thinking club.

“I did the best I could based on what I was given to work with. They did well taking care of the welfare of the playing and coaching staff in terms of the salaries, but I feel like they should also invest more into other sections of the club as well, because I feel that let us down a little bit.”

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