Nabi Defends Tenure Amidst Top 8 Failure

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has argued that if his club were truly underperforming, he wouldn’t have defeated Orlando Pirates, Stellenbosch, and Mamelodi Sundowns to win the Nedbank Cup trophy.

Nabi delivered one of his most passionate press conferences after his side failed to secure a top-eight finish on Saturday following a goalless draw with Polokwane City at FNB Stadium.

This impassioned defense aimed to not only justify his own work but also to highlight the club’s mutual understanding that they lack the quality players to consistently compete with Sundowns, Pirates, and Stellenbosch.

However, Nabi emphasized that Chiefs, in their Nedbank Cup triumph, had beaten all those clubs en route to lifting the trophy. The lingering question, though, is their inability to finish within the top eight, which is currently overshadowing Nabi’s work in his inaugural season.

As Chiefs were held to a goalless draw by Polokwane in their final game of the season, it marked their second consecutive failure to finish in the top eight.

Nabi expressed his strong disapproval of Polokwane’s style of play, describing it as simply passing the ball 80 meters and “hoping for the best in the counterattack.”

“I think I remember we explained this. If you want immediate results like the teams that played on Saturday, what kind of football are you proposing for this team?” Nabi began. “It’s a pass to 80 meters and a counterattack. Do you imagine Kaizer Chiefs playing like that in Africa? But Polokwane finished better than my team in the top eight, but with what kind of football?

“Do you want this football to be played by Kaizer Chiefs? For myself, I came here for a specific model of the game, like what is needed at a big club like Kaizer Chiefs. I know I will take a risk, but I prefer to win with the principles of the game – offensive, protagonist, the philosophy of Kaizer Chiefs. If I’m in the top eight and you go to play Zamalek, Wydad Casablanca, and we play 80-meter passing balls. Do you prefer that?”

Nabi then directly challenged the journalists: “Please don’t confuse the fans. Because you are professional and you love football, you want beautiful football, explain to fans that Nabi came here for one game model – offensive, because Kaizer Chiefs is a big club. It is not possible for Nabi to play counterattack. Why are you happy when another team is in the top eight and they are better than us in that way?

“Is Stellenbosch better than us because they are number three, or not? Why did I beat them three times? Why did I beat Sundowns? Why did I beat Orlando Pirates? Why? Because this team plays football.”

Nabi has faced significant criticism at Chiefs this season due to inconsistent results. This has led to reports that he might be sacked in the coming days, despite ending a ten-year trophy drought.