Nasreddine Nabi’s stay at Kaizer Chiefs for his second season is without any guarantees even though he has now ended the 10-year wait for silverware at the club.
Nabi was on hand to lift the Nedbank Cup on Saturday, putting to an end what has been a frustrating trophy wait, which ran from May 9, 2015, to May 10, 2025.
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While the celebrations of that silverware will go on for weeks for the fans, the reality faced by Nabi is that he is not having it all smooth at Chiefs.
The Soweto giants have been atrocious in the Betway Premiership by any measure and have not moved on from the mess that defined their previous campaign when they had Molefi Ntseki and then Cavin Johnson in charge.
Twelve defeats and eight wins is way below the standards at the club regardless of the circumstances and so it is normal that there will be a reaction which shakes the room.
With another two games to play, Amakhosi are not even certain of merely finishing in the Top Eight, so this is a fact that cannot be ignored despite the Nedbank Cup success.
What has happened in the league will need explaining from Nabi after the games against Sekhukhune United and Polokwane City.
This is the scrutiny that he will not hide from, especially with so many questions and doubts on his head after having failed to win in the last seven league matches.
An informant says it is not all ‘lovey-dovey’ for Nabi at Naturena, where when it gets cold it feels like sitting in a freezer.
Nabi has had his way with his technical team choices, which has Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze as assistants, Ilyes Mzoughi as goalkeeper coach and Majdi Safi as conditioning coach.
Up next have been the constant reservations that Nabi has had about his squad, which is the basis of his argument in matters relating to expectations.
Nabi’s time at Naturena has come with 10 signings, though the vast majority, who include Tashreeq Morris, Bongani Sam, Njabulo Blom, and Bradley Cross, were not his choices with Glody Makabi Lilepo the one specific that he got.
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According to the informant, now that the Tunisian coach has earned himself glory in ending the cup drought, he has positioned himself in a favourable position to argue his case.
Chiefs are expected to finalise all discussions and decisions relating to Nabi upon the end of the season.
