After weeks and weeks of speculation, Kaizer Chiefs have finally confirmed the worst kept secret in South African football — Tunisian Nasreddine Nabi is their new head coach.
The Soweto giants made the announcement on Sunday evening, almost a week after letting Cavin Johnson go. Johnson had served as the club’s interim head coach following the sacking of Molefi Ntseki before the turn of the year.
We are delighted to welcome Coach Nasreddine Nabi to the Kaizer Chiefs family. We are happy to have you with us, Coach.
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) July 7, 2024
#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/rWcqqY3FP3
According to reports, Nabi agreed to become Chiefs’ new coach a couple of weeks ago, but was waiting to complete the season with AS FAR Rabat.
On Monday, AS FAR were beaten in the final of the Throne Cup by Raja Casablanca, who completed a domestic league and cup double. The Moroccan champions are currently coached by Josef Zinnbauer, formerly of Orlando Pirates.
KCTV Premiere
Tune in tonight for a brand-new episode of KCTV, featuring the Kaizer Chiefs Wellness Day, Vodacom’s VIP Suite experience, OX Mthethwa’s sports tournament, and a great "Player Profile" segment with Pule Mmodi.
Catch it on SuperSport 202 at 8pm! #Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/Hdp0aka1sp
Hit the ground running
AmaKhosi and their hordes of supporters will be hoping Nabi hits the ground running as he aims to restore the club’s tarnished reputation. It will be a tough ask for a club known to be impatient with their coaches.
Chiefs finished 10th in the league last season, and the club, arguably the biggest in the country, haven’t lifted any silverware since winning the back in 2014/15.
The closest they came to ending their league drought was during the 2019/20 season when they were cruising towards the title under German Ernst Middendorp. The season was brought to an abrupt halt by the Covid-19 pandemic, and when it restarted again, they couldn’t build up enough steam to get over the finish line.
That failure ultimately cost Middendorp his job, and the coaches who followed have struggled to get going. Current SuperSport United head coach Gavin Hunt was brutally fired despite leading the club to a CAF Champions League final.
Chiefs were first linked with Nabi last year after Arthur Zwane was fired. Talks broke down after failing to reach an agreement over the make-up of his backroom staff, and Ntseki was instead appointed.
After the Ntseki experiment failed horribly, the club decided to go back to the Tunisian, and gave in to his demands.
Fernando Da Cruz, who was Nabi’s number two at AS FAR until last year, has already been seen working with Kaizer Chiefs squad as they prepare for next season.
IOL Sport