In the face of Kaizer Chiefs’ ongoing battle with inconsistent results, head coach Nasreddine Nabi has spoken out on his future with the Soweto giants.
The former Young Africans SC head coach has faced mounting pressure, not only due to Chiefs’ current four-match winless run in the Betway Premiership but also their overall struggle to secure victories this season.
The last time Chiefs had the good taste of a win was on March 4th, when Ashley Du Preez’s goal gave them a 1-0 league victory against Magesi FC at FNB Stadium.
After the Magesi victory, Amakhosi played two draws against Cape Town City FC and TS Galaxy, and suffered back-to-back defeats against KZN sides Richards Bay FC and Golden Arrows.
Nabi is in his maiden season at Chiefs after taking over the hot seat in July 2024, joining the club from Moroccan side AS FAR. The Tunisian tactician moved to Naturena with the hope of turning the team’s fortunes. However, he has seemingly struggled to get positive results on a regular basis.
The Soweto giants are sitting eighth on the log standings with 30 points after 24 matches. The Nedbank Cup is their sole remaining chance to secure silverware and break their nine-year trophy-less streak this season.
But they have Mamelodi Sundowns to face in the semi-final of the Nedbank Cup at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday afternoon as Amakhosi look to book a place in the final.
WHAT NABI SAID ABOUT HIS FUTURE AT KAIZER CHIEFS
Nabi has repeatedly emphasised the need for fan patience, stating that building a competitive team requires time and quality players, and projecting a two-to-three-year timeline for trophy contention.”
Nabi has opened up on his future at Chiefs amid the recent turbulent run of form, stating that he has a two-year contract with the team.
“You’re asking if I’ll stay next season, I have to tell you that my contract is for two seasons, but it’s not me who decides, for me, I have a process,” Nabi said.
“The difference between me and how other people think is that they are thinking of results, and I’m thinking of process. If we think like that, we are not speaking the same language; one is speaking French and the other is speaking English.
“As I have said to you, I have a process, and that process is based on how we play, how we give chances to the DDC players. We’re talking about Mduduzi Tshabalala, Mfundo Vilakazi, and Wandile Duba.
“Each game we play, how many chances do we create and how many chances do opponents create? We work with statistics, and if you [journalist] want, you can give us your WhatsApp number and we will send you all the data about the team, then you can analyse and give us solutions for next season,” Nabi added sarcastically.
In a back-and-forth exchange with a journalist, Nabi stated that it’s not his decision whether he deserves to remain with the Chiefs beyond the current season.
“I’m not here to say that I deserve or don’t deserve to stay at Chiefs, there’s a board and they analyse the situation. They see every training session and the meetings before and after the game.
“They’re [management] seeing what we’re doing, and if they think we don’t deserve to stay next season, we’ll go. If they say I deserve to stay, then I’ll stay. I have a process and objectives, and I trust in my process.”
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