Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has arrived in Casablanca and is expected to put pen to paper with Wydad Athletic Club, alongside a familiar face from his time at Naturena.
The Tunisian is set to take charge of the Moroccan giants following Paulo Sérgio’s departure, with strength and conditioning specialist Firas Zghal expected to form part of his technical team.
Nabi’s arrival moves the appointment closer to completion after FARPost reported that resolving Sérgio’s contract was the main hurdle in negotiations. Discussions had already covered his terms and the composition of his backroom staff.
Preparations are being made for Nabi and his technical team to begin work ahead of Saturday’s league encounter against Union Touarga Sportif.
FIRAS ZGHAL SET FOR NABI REUNION AT WYDAD
Amakhosi fans who followed the club’s pre-season camp in the Netherlands in July 2025 will remember Zghal working alongside Nabi. The France-based specialist temporarily took charge of Amakhosi’s conditioning programme while Majdi Safi remained in South Africa. His arrangement covered the European camp and saw Safi resume his responsibilities when the team returned to Johannesburg.
Zghal is an associate professor at the University of Paris-Saclay whose work includes research into exercise science, strength and football performance. His relationship with Nabi predates their brief pre-season spell together at Chiefs.
The pair previously worked together at Al Ahly in Libya around 2013, early in Zghal’s conditioning career. His anticipated appointment at Wydad would reunite the Tunisian coach with a specialist whose methods he already knows.
Former Wydad defender Naïm Aarab has also been linked with Wydad as a possible addition to Nabi’s backroom staff. Aarab, who has worked within Union Saint-Gilloise’s youth structures and with Anderlecht’s U23 side, would bring club knowledge and coaching experience gained in Belgium. He also served as an assistant with Anderlecht’s first team from March to June, according to reports in Morocco.
Morad Al-Tawil, who worked alongside Nabi during his recent spell at Raja Athletic Club, is also expected to join the backroom staff.
TRICKY UNION TOUARGA TEST AWAITS NABI
Should the remaining formalities be completed in time, Nabi’s first assignment will be against sixth-placed Union Touarga on Saturday. Touarga have won two of their opening four league matches and are an awkward introduction for a coach expected to deliver an immediate improvement.
They have a reputation for making life uncomfortable for the division’s bigger clubs. Wydad, meanwhile, have collected five points from their first four matches, leaving them ninth in the standings. One win, two draws and a defeat prompted the club to seek a change on the bench.
Nabi’s immediate challenge would be to restore confidence and improve results, given the limited preparation time before the Touarga encounter. The move would also take him back into Moroccan football just months after leaving Wydad’s fierce rivals, Raja. Having previously coached AS FAR Rabat, the former Chiefs mentor is now poised for another demanding assignment in the Botola Pro.
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