A local coach on technical staff will not help Chiefs, says Nabi

Under-pressure Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has implied that having a local in his technical panel would not have made any difference to their form, including their defeat to Lamontville Golden Arrows on Saturday.

This is despite many supporters saying he should have roped in someone who knows the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to help him with local conditions and knowledge and as a bridge to the players.

Chiefs suffered their 10th league defeat of the season when they lost 2-1 to 10th-placed Arrows at Moses Mabhida Stadium. Skipper Yusuf Maart missed a penalty in the 12th minute, before he redeemed himself by cancelling out Nduduzo Sibiya’s 28th-minute opener four minutes later. Knox Mutizwa netted the winner for Arrows in the 78th.

Nabi arrived in July 2024 and brought in his own technical team, made up of a pair of assistant coaches in Khalil Ben Youssef and Fernando da Cruz, alongside goalkeeper coach Ilyes Mzoughi and strength and conditioning coach Safi Majdi. Da Cruz left two months into the project, with Cedric Kaze replacing him a month later.

Nabi dismissed the notion that having at least one South African with PSL experience would have helped Amakhosi.

“The skills don’t have nationality. Before I came to SA, I analysed all the PSL [issues]. The problem is not that,” Nabi said.

The Tunisian coach again emphasised the need for patience in the rebuilding project for Amakhosi and urged the fans to attack him instead of his players as he vowed they “work seriously”.

“I want patience, give me patience. I am sorry, honestly,” the coach said, issuing yet another apology for a defeat.

“I am the first man with big frustration. We understand altogether the frustration for the team at this moment, but please don’t panic. We’ll continue to work seriously [and] give 200% for the club.

“But don’t panic, please, and don’t attack the players. I offer that you can attack me now, it’s normal, but don’t attack the players. Protect the team and the players because the season is not finished and I am sure we will change the situation.”

Chiefs, who have won one, drawn one and lost four of their past six Premiership matches, are wallowing in eighth place.