Football Kenya Federation (FKF) cup semi finalists Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and former Kenya’s national football team Harambee Stars assistant coach Robert Matano and the new Nairobi United tactician Patrick Aussems have reconciled from their long standing feud.
Their reconciliation was initiated by the Nairobi United patron who is also the country’s capital city governor Johnson Sakaja ahead of their 2026-27 Kenyan Premier League season rivalry.
In the year 2023, Matano who was handling Tusker FC technical benchsought an apology from Aussems the then coach of AFC Leopards over alleged defamatory and malicious remarks after a local Premier League match pitting the two sides where Tusker scored an injury time goal to earn a laboured win in a match that seemed to have been destined for a draw.
Matano through his lawyer Elvis Majani of Wambilianga, Majani & Associates, has urged the Belgian coach to immediately recant his online post where he reportedly referred to the veteran Matano as a “djudju man”.
Through a strongly worded letter seen by Soccer East Africa, Advocate Majani warned of legal consequences if Aussems did not tender a written apology to his client within the next three days in letter form and through his twitter pages.
Aussems on April 9, 2023 through his twitter page published; “Unfortunately we have been punished at the last minute due to lack of aggressiveness! Congrats to the Players of Tusker FC. Of course I won’t talk about an old coach with no international experience who is more a juju man than a tactician…one could learn!”
Matano’s legal team argues that the words uttered by Aussems were false and malicious and only meant to stain the good reputation of their client. “The said words in their national meaning and the context of the aforesaid publication meant and was understood by those reading the publication to mean that our client as a coach lacks requisite knowledge of football.
Further by calling our client a djudju man, you insinuated that our client is a witch, sorcerer, evil, black magician, warlock and/or practices black magic, especially for evil purposes.”
The letter went on further; “Our Client is a national with a rich profile both as a footballer and a coach filled with success. In brief,our Client as a player played for Halati Sportive in Arusha, he also played for AFC Leopards in the Cup Winners Cup in the season 1983-84.Our Client has been a coach since the year 1986,winning four Kenya premier league titles with Tusker FC (2012,2021,2022) and Sofapaka FC (2009).
He has coached Sofapaka FC and Tusker FC in the Africa Champions league and CAF Competitions. Our client has been voted the best coach in Kenya on two (2012 and 2021) occasions. Our client has coached the national team as an assistant coach. In our understanding, coaching at the CAF level, and the national team equates to international experience.”
As such due to the said statements from the Ingwe Boss, Matano has taken issue with the publication as disparaging in his professional business as a football coach with his esteem being lowered. Advocate Majani in his letter has warned that failure to act upon the complaints, the AFC Leopards tactician will be answerable.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja (centre), KCB coach Robert Matano (left) and new Nairobi United tactician Patrick Aussems at City Hall after the two coaches reconciled
“We hereby demand that you tender your unconditional written apology to our client and further publish the same apology on your twitter page within the next three days from the date hereof failing which we shall have no alternative but to institute legal proceedings against you for for the recovery of compensation without any further notice to you and at your risk as to further costs and consequences. Further in view of the above and for your defamation, expect to receive a written proposal on the damages to be paid yourself to our client within the next seven (7) days of your receipt of this letter.”
Recently, Aussems was appointed as new boss at Nairobi United.
Aussems took over from Godfrey ‘Solo’ Oduor who has been handling the team for most of the last season since the departure of Nicholas Muyoti.
He will be deputised by the 2025 FKF Cup semi finalists Murang’a Seal former coach Osborne Monday who joined the club last month from Kenya’s 1988 Africa Champions Cup representatives Shabana FC.
