A day after Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs were humbled 3-1 by league leaders Sekhukhune United, the club have reportedly parted ways with head coach Nasreddine Nabi.
This move comes as little surprise, as speculation was rife when the season kicked off that he had fallen out with management during the club’s preseason tour to Europe.
According iDiskiTimes, the club are expected to announce imminently that assistant coaches Cedric Kaze and Youssef Ben Khalil will take over the running of the team in the meantime. The two were previously in charge when Nabi was given leave by the club following his wife accident.
The duo was praised for the way they ran the team as they managed a 100% win record in Nabi’s absence. Chiefs’ first dropped points of the new season came in Nabi’s first game back, a 0-0 draw against league champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
Nabi, though, is expected to land on his feet quickly as according to Soccer Laduma, there are clubs in the Middle East that are interested in his services.
The 60-year-old joined Amakhosi at the beginning of last season, and his arrival was expected to usher in a new era at Naturena.
Prior to his arrival, the club had failed to finish in the top half. The season started well for the Tunisian, but the club’s struggles continued and they subsequently finished outside of the top half for a second season running.
Under Nabi, the club did win the Nedbank Cup, ending a 10-year trophy drought when they defeated Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates in Durban.
Ahead of his second season in charge, the club backed him in the transfer market by bringing in a number of players in key areas. However, after they struggled to perform during the preseason tour to the Netherlands, it was reported he had had some disagreements with club bosses over how things were playing out.
* IOL Sport has reached out to Kaizer Chiefs for comment, and this article will be updated when the club replies.
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