Kenya has launched an investigation into alleged match-fixing involving a national team goalkeeper in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) acknowledged the circulation of online videos implicating goalkeeper Patrick Matasi, raising concerns about potential match manipulation.
“FKF upholds the integrity of football and has initiated an official investigation in collaboration with FIFA, CAF, and other relevant authorities,” the federation stated.
The amateur footage, secretly filmed and reviewed by AFP, captures an unidentified man discussing a scheme with Matasi to fix a match in exchange for money.
Matasi, a former AFC Leopards and Tusker goalkeeper who also played for Ethiopia’s Coffee Sports Club, was in goal during Kenya’s 4-1 defeat to Cameroon in a 2025 AFCON qualifier last October. The loss significantly weakened Kenya’s chances of advancing to the finals in Morocco and led to the resignation of head coach Engin Firat.
Since then, Matasi has been dropped from the squad by new coach Benni McCarthy and was absent from Kenya’s recent 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Gambia and Gabon.
Match-fixing scandals have plagued Kenyan football in recent years. In January 2023, FKF suspended 14 players and two coaches over cheating allegations in the national league. In 2020, FIFA banned four Kenya-based players—one for life—over an international match-fixing conspiracy, while five referees were also suspended.
The Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis has warned that match-fixing has infiltrated various levels of Kenyan football, from grassroots to professional leagues.
“This has led to disillusionment among fans, undermined the integrity of football, and risks eroding public trust in the sport,” the institute stated in a January 2024 report.