- FC Talanta suffered a 4-0 defeat to Ulinzi Stars on Sunday afternoon at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
- Within a week, Talanta played three fixtures—something Gatheru is unhappy about, and he has called out the Federation.
- Gatheru also believes FC Talanta still have a strong chance to survive the relegation battle.
FC Talanta assistant coach Jackson Gatheru has urged the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to reconsider the congested fixtures, citing unfair scheduling for teams compelled to play league matches every two days.
Talanta suffered a 4-0 defeat against Ulinzi Stars on Sunday afternoon at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, with Boniface Muchiri, Meshack Karani, Amatton Samunya, and Joseph Ochieng delivering a commanding performance on their home ground.
However, Talanta’s recent schedule has been grueling, with three matches in quick succession. Before facing Ulinzi, they battled Gor Mahia on Thursday, April 24, securing a narrow 0-1 victory.
Just four days prior, they had clashed with Shabana, succumbing to a 2-4 loss.
Stepping in for head coach Jackline Juma, Gatheru acknowledged Ulinzi’s strong performance while attributing Talanta’s loss to defensive lapses.
The match has been good, to be honest, when you look at how Ulinzi played today. They really capitalized on our mistakes in the box. They were clinical up front, and every chance they got, the ball ended up in the back of the net,” he told Azam TV post-match.
FC Talanta Coach slams FKF
He went on to call for fairness in fixture planning, emphasizing that playing every two days while opponents enjoy longer recovery periods is detrimental.
I want to call out those arranging these fixtures. We played Gor Mahia, and just two days later, we were scheduled for another match. Ulinzi did not have a midweek game so what do you expect from us in that situation?
We played Shabana, then two days later had another match. They need to consider the players. It’s tough. They shouldn’t just schedule games blindly — they need to check when both teams last played.
Ulinzi had around four days to recover, while we only had two, yet we’re playing in the same league. They should take that into account.”
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Following the loss to Ulinzi, Talanta sits 15th on the table with 29 points — three spots above the relegation zone with five matches left. Despite the setback, Gatheru remains optimistic.
“We still have a solid chance to avoid relegation. We’ll regroup, strategize, and I’m hopeful that Talanta will not only survive but finish in a respectable position in the league,” he concluded.