Flashscore can exclusively confirm that Matano, who is fondly referred to as the “Special One”, is currently in Tanzania negotiating to take charge at Mainland Premier League outfit Coastal Union, who were recently under the guidance of another Kenyan, David Ouma, before he was fired.
Matano, the most decorated coach in Kenyan history having won five Premier League titles and was voted the coach of the year at the close of the 2020/21 season to add on to a similar award earned in 2009, arrived in Tanzania on Wednesday, September 3rd, and has already held talks with the club over a possible move, which will leave Batoto ba Mungu searching for another tactician to take charge.
Matano moved to Sofapaka at the start of the current 2024/25 campaign after his contract had run down at Tusker and was not renewed. He left the Brewers after six years in charge, which saw him win the league title.
Sofapaka allowed Matano to talk to Coastal Union
In an exclusive interview with Flashscore, Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa confirmed that Matano had indeed travelled to Tanzania with the club’s blessings, and they will release him if the two parties reach an agreement.
“Coastal Union approached Robert (Matano) and they invited him for negotiations, they have been looking for him for a long time and you know I am one person, who doesn’t stand in the way of anyone, who wants to make a move in his career,” Kalekwa told Flashscore.
“So I am waiting for Matano to get back and tell me what the agreement is, I don’t have any problem to release him, if Coastal Union gives him a contract then I will release him, I don’t have any issues at all, but what I know for now, they are still negotiating and nothing has been agreed yet.
“Matano informed us he was going to Tanzania, so it is nothing big, this business of football involves people moving up and down, so we don’t have any issue, if they both agree, then I am willing and ready to give him a release letter.”
Asked who will take charge of the team if Matano leaves, Kalekwa said: “I don’t think they have signed him, until they sign him then we can start talking of who will replace him.
“For now, Matano remains the Sofapaka coach, if they have not signed him, he still belongs to Sofapaka, remember he signed a one-year contract when he joined us before the season started, so we cannot talk about any replacement until when Coastal Union signs him.”
Matano has struggled since joining Sofapaka
The former AFC Leopards and Ulinzi Stars coach has not enjoyed a good start with Batoto ba Mungu, suffering three defeats and one draw from the opening four matches of the campaign.
His first match saw Sofapaka lose 1-0 against Tusker on August 24th, before they suffered a similar outcome against FC Talanta on September 14th. His third match in charge saw Batoto ba Mungu bag their first point and first goal of the season after a 1-1 draw against promoted side Mathare United on September 21st.
Matano however, failed to build on the momentum from the vital point as Sofapaka suffered a 1-0 defeat against Bandari FC in their last outing on September 28th. The outcome has seen Sofapaka languishing at the bottom of the 18-team league table with one point.
Speaking to Flashscore immediately after he had signed for the club, Matano, who has coached Kenya Pipeline, Shamako Babes, Bayer East Africa, Safari Park, Timsales, Kimbo FC, and defunct Re-Union, among other teams, explained why his love for the club had pushed him to take over the vacant role.
“You know Sofapaka is my team, and when you see a child suffering, you feel that you should be making efforts to help him or her, so I am back to help Sofapaka, they have suffered a lot and with my experience, the suffering is going to come to an end,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kalekwa said on hiring Matano: “He is the right man for the job and we are confident he will help us get out of the situation we found ourselves in during the previous season,” Kalekwa told Flashscore.
“He is a fighter, a coach, who wants to win in every game, a coach who gets mad when he loses a game, so we went for his services knowing he will help us regain our status.”
Batoto ba Mungu were on the edge of surrendering their 15-year status in the top-flight after a poor start to the 2023/24 season saw them fight relegation from the opening week until the last day.
They finished the Premier League season in 16th and had to play National Super League (NSL) side Naivas FC in a two-legged promotion playoff to determine their fate.
Sofapaka, who won the Kenyan league title in the debut season in 2009 under Matano, managed to secure their status after beating Naivas 2-0 on aggregate. They won the first leg 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Jacob Ochieng, before winning the return leg 1-0 via an Andre Lalama strike.
Matano is a four-time Kenyan Premier League winning coach having won the title with Sofapaa on their debut season in 2009, and with Tusker in the 2012, 2020/21, and 2021/22 seasons.
During his heydays, Matano was a defender, who played for Abeingo, Nakuru Youth Olympic, Hakati FC, Kenatco FC then AFC Leopards but after ten years of playing, he moved to coaching, starting out at Pumwani Sportif in 1986.
