EXPLAINED: Why the Kaizer Chiefs-Nabi contract talks are stalling
While there is an air of hope that history-making Young Africans coach Nasredine Nabi could be handed the reins at Kaizer Chiefs, one of his former players has explained the reason behind the stalling in the contract talks.
The 58-year-old mentor bade farewell to the Jangwani giants on Wednesday after 30 months at the helm of the club.
Charming Nasredine Nabi, nicknamed Professor, even took to the streets of Dar es Salaam late on Wednesday to wave goodbye to the club’s ardent fans.
He also got his final haircut in his beloved Dar as he packs his bags for his next destination.
TWO SUCCESSIVE TREBLES
As expected, it was a rousing welcome he got with news slowly filtering in that he was on his way out. The sentimentality of the fans is understandable especially when you consider that his two and a half year spell in Tanzania has yielded six trophies of two successive trebles.
That being said, the writing was always on the wall that the Tunisian would not renew his deal. Club president Engineer Hersi Ally Said revealed the coach had opted not to sign a new deal back in April.
According to the Yanga boss, Nasredine Nabi said he wanted to focus on finishing the season strong.
Besides their domestic campaign, Yanga went as far as the CAF Confederation Cup final where they narrowly lost courtesy of the away goals [away goal] rule.
The club then gave him an ultimatum to sign the new deal by 15 June when the season was over.
“We gave the coach a new deal in April. He insisted he wanted to focus on finishing the season first. So, we then gave him until the 15th of June to sign the contract,” Engineer Hersi told FARPost.
After the final game of the season, which was a 1-0 win in the Azam FA Cup in Tanga, Nabi shed tears as he bade farewell to the players.
On Wednesday, just before midnight, Yanga dropped a bombshell on social media announcing that they had parted ways with the coach.
Simultaneously, reports emerging from South Africa were that talks with Kaizer Chiefs were stalling as the two parties were failing to agree on a few aspects of the deal.
Interestingly, Nabi has offers from JS Kabylie of Algeria, Esperance in his Tunisia homeland, an Egyptian side and a club from Saudi Arabia’s second division.
‘AN EXTRORDINARY COACH’
On the other hand, Chiefs also toyed with the idea of bringing in Ricardo Formosinho whom Olympique de Khourigba striker Kabelo Seakanyeng describes as “an extraordinary coach.” The Khourigba mentor was Jose Mourinho’s assistant during his spell at Manchester United.
Of course, Amakhosi are said to be leaning towards Nabi. And those close to him have revealed he is eager to take up a challenge in the DStv Premiership.
In his first full season, Nabi guided Yanga to their first league title in four years, ending the dominance of Simba SC. They went on a 49-match unbeaten run.
With all eyes on Naturena, a player who has played under him for the last two years has shed light on why the deal somewhat hangs in the balance.
“When coach came in April 2021, I remember we were having camp in Morocco. The beginning of his tenure was very difficult because some of his technical team members were not with him. They couldn’t join him because of the Covid-19 travel restrictions,” the player told FARPost.
“That camp felt like a holiday, the physical aspect of the preparations wasn’t taken care of.
“We struggled for quite a while [with fitness], but things started getting better once the rest of the technical team members joined us.”
HOW NABI DOES THINGS
Once they hit top gear, it was all systems go as they wrote history in African football by becoming among the top five teams in the continent to hold a long League unbeaten run.
“My assessment of the way Nabi does things is that he’s a tactician. He works very well with his technical team. He allows his technical team members to do their work. So, in terms of preparing the team from a physical point of view and analysis, it’s done by his technical team. Of course, he is there to oversee everything.
“Where he comes in is during the game. His game management is top notch. That’s why we call him Professor. He reads the game so well and the substitutions he makes are always on point.
“So, his biggest fear is that if he is not allowed to bring his three main men, he will struggle in South Africa.”
His three main men would mean leaving behind Cedric Kaze, his Burundian assistant, who previously worked as head coach before Nabi’s arrival.
ONLY BRING TWO TECHNICAL TEAM MEMBERS
Apparently, Kaizer Chiefs insist they can only allow him to bring two of his technical team members. Nabi, on the other hand, wants to add the third.
Kaizer Chiefs’ argument is that they have a good conditioning coach Muzi Maluleke. However, Nabi holds his own man Helmi Gueldich, a holder of a PhD in Exercise Science, in high regard.
“Yanga can play 120 minutes non-stop, they often have an injury free season. The players are well conditioned. Helmi is top. He understands the game because he played it and studied what he does. He’s exceptional. He maintains the entire squad to be at the same leve. That’s why Nabi can pick any player and maintain the same intensity and level in a game,” Yanga’s 20-year-old striker Yusuph Athuman told FARPost.
It is, therefore, understandable that the coach would be eager to bring his man. Time ya Wananchi’s goalkeeper Djigui Diarra was named best goalkeeper of the season at the Tanzania Football Federation Awards on Monday.
He also walked away with the Azam Cup Goalkeeper of the Tournament accolade.
The player believes Nasredine Nabi and his technical team work as a unit and there is a sense of loyalty. “Nabi won’t want to leave any of the three. He is loyal to the people he works with.”
Kaizer Chiefs’ insistence on allowing Nabi to bring only two of his staffers complicates the deal.
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