Newly appointed Kaizer Chiefs head coach, Nasreddine Nabi, has shared why he couldn’t resist the club’s call this time around. The former AS FAR Rabat mentor had several offers before taking up the hot seat at Naturena.
In recent months, he was offered the head coaching positions at Algeria’s USM Alger, Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca, and the Tunisia national team. AS FAR were also eager for him to stay despite the team’s failure to win the Botola League title or the Throne Cup last season.
However, the coach, who has won the league title twice in Tanzania, chose to accept the Amakhosi position. Interestingly, Nabi had been approached about the Chiefs job in July 2023, but negotiations fell through when the two parties could not reach an agreement.
WHY NASREDDINE NABI CHOSE KAIZER CHIEFS
Addressing journalists for the first time at Naturena, the seasoned tactician with a proven track record on the African continent, emphasised the unique appeal of the Chiefs brand and the opportunity to contribute to the club’s rich legacy.
“The picture of where the club is supposed to be and where it has been before, and not having a title in a long time is what made me want to come here,” he said.
Nabi’s experience at Young Africans, where he turned around a four-year trophy drought and challenged the dominance of rivals Simba SC, could be a promising sign for Chiefs fans hoping for an end to their nine-year dry spell. His past success suggests he has the expertise to revitalise a struggling team and instil a winning culture, which could be exactly what the Chiefs need to break their trophyless streak.
“I told myself that I need to put the club back to where it is supposed to be. But we need a very real strategy,” the Tunisian coach said.
The 58-year-old tactician outlined his strategic vision for initiating the rebuild of the Soweto giants.
“We need to be honest with ourselves and our supporters. I need to look at our quality without emotions. We need to look at what we have currently without being emotional.
“Once we have fully analysed what we have, we will have a strategy for how to drive the club and the team to get where we want to. I do not want to make populist promises and tell the fans what they want to hear. We need to prepare and analyse and take it from there.”
KAIZER CHIEFS FANS ‘TIRED OF PROMISES’
Nabi added that he understands that the fans are “very tired of promises and projects”. “Every start to the season, there have been promises. But we cannot do that.”
Together with his technical team, he said their aim was to build a formidable side that will compete on the domestic and international stage.
“I am not making excuses not to win titles or anything like that. However, we will fight to win in every game,” Nabi said.
Amakhosi fans will have their first glimpse of Nabi’s tactics and style when Chiefs face off against his former club, Tanzanian champions Yanga, in the inaugural Toyota Cup at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
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