NAIROBI, Kenya, May 6, 2026 – Tusker head coach Julien Mette was fuming at Nairobi United goalkeeper Kevin Oduor over his dark art tactics in their FKF Premier League tie at the Nyayo Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Frenchman accused the custodian of time-wasting by faking injuries and constantly going down to stop the flow of the game.
“Once a team scores the first goal, their goalkeeper is almost dead. He suicides himself two or three times, he stays on the field. We could have had 15 minutes more to play today. It’s horrible. As a coach, it’s frustrating. Of course, if you’re fans of Nairobi, you’re happy.But as a fan of football, this evening we’re going to see PSG-Bayern. It’s totally a different sport,” Mette said.
Mette described Oduor’s antics as frustrating and an affront to what football should be all about as far as entertainment is concerned.
The tactician warned that such behaviour is a drawback to the progress of the sport in the country, particularly as Kenya readies to host the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in just over a year.
“Please play football. You’re going to host the AFCON next year, guys. Play football. And the referee, at least give a warning to the goalkeeper when he’s faking injury, please. Can we play football in this country, please? I accept to lose, but at least let’s try to play,” the former Rayon Sports tactician lamented.
The brewers were stung by a Muhadjiri Hatikimana long-range strike in the 18th minute, which condemned them to their 13th loss of the season.
Mette conceded that the brewers were somewhat masters of their downfall owing to their lack of technical nous with the ball.
“I’m proud of the players. But as I said, if we score first, it’s a totally different game. They had an opportunity, they score. We have a good opportunity, we don’t score. So we have to blame ourselves,” he said.
Keen to avoid a recurrence of the same, Mette said he will be working to improve the synergy in his side by helping players rectify their individual shortfalls.
“There’s a lot of positive things, but the problem is lack of consistency. But I’m quite disappointed of some individual performance. We need all the players to be involved. That’s the main thing I have to correct in my team,” the coach said.
Tusker, who sit eighth with 41 points, are back in league action on Sunday against relegation candidates Bidco United.
