- Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is optimistic that Nasreddine Nabi will change Kaizer Chiefs’ fortunes as Amakhosi are on the brink of going 10 years without a trophy.
- Broos admitted that the drastic changes the club has made to turn things around under the coach who holds a Belgium passport would probably have not happened with a South African coach.
- While Broos hopes that Chiefs return to their former glory, he however doesn’t think that Fawaaz Basadien should leave Stellenbosch FC for Amakhosi.
- For more Kaizer Chiefs news, please visit the News24 dedicated local soccer page.
Hugo Broos applauded the appointment of Nasreddine Nabi as Kaizer Chiefs’ coach in a manner only the Belgian can get away with – with sincerity and spice, while revealing that his Europeanness has made it easier for Nabi to stamp his authority.
Amakhosi appointed the Tunisia-born coach who holds a Belgium passport to try an arrest a trophy drought that is threatening to reach 10 years.
The most successful team in the country last won a trophy in 2015 under the tutelage of Stuart Baxter.
Since then, Chiefs have been a shadow of their former self – culminating in their worst showing in the 2023-24 season where the club finished in 10th position.
Their woes have been a result of a mixture of things, from rushed and poor technical team appointments to an inability to compete in the transfer market which was compounded by the poor signings they have made.
READ| Nabi vows to build a solid Chiefs team after thumping loss to Yanga: ‘I don’t accept losing’
To change that, and return the club to the top, Chiefs have drastically changed things in the appointment of Nabi.
The club allowed the coach the power to assemble an all-foreign technical team – which saw Nabi bring his trusted lieutenants to help him in this difficult task.
The former Young Africans coach is assisted by Khalil Ben Youssef and Fernando da Cruz with Ilyes Mzoughi serving as the goalkeeper coach and Safi Majdi the strength and fitness coach.
He comes with extensive experience in the continent following stints in Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Tanzania and Morocco.
His Belgian compatriot, the Bafana Bafana coach, spoke glowingly of Nabi but hinted that the drastic changes that Chiefs have made for Nabi would unlikely have been made for a South African coach.
“When I came back from Belgium, I didn’t know but he is living in the same building as me,” said Broos.
“Someone from Kaizer Chiefs came to me and said, ‘Coach, the coach would like to speak with you.’ He was there, drinking coffee. So, I spoke to him. He is a very good coach.
“When you see what is happening at Chiefs (with the signings they are making and technical additions), it’s a different thing. His thinking, if I can say it [is] European. He wants what he wants.”
Chiefs have strengthened their squad with the additions of Gaston Sirino, Angolan international Inacio Miguel, Rushwin Dortley, Fiacre Ntwari and Bongani Sam.
Kaizer Chiefs are delighted to announce the appointment of Thembela ‘Tera’ Maliwa to the post of Head of Scouting and Recruitment in the latest step in the implementation of their strategy to add quality to every aspect of the Club’s structures.
Welcome Tera!#Amakhosi4Life
— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) August 29, 2024
They have also appointed Thembela ‘Tera’ Maliwa as head of scouting and recruitment, while urging fans to give Nabi time with most of the club’s coaches in the last disastrous decade being forced out of Amakhosi by angry and disappointed supporters.
In that period, no coach has received the backing and support that Nabi has received.
“It’s maybe a little bit easier for him to achieve that at Chiefs (because he is European),” said Broos.
He continued,
“It is not easy to be the coach of Kaizer Chiefs. I think that it’s not easy for a South African coach (coaching Chiefs) to slam the table and say, ‘No! I want that.’ You see with him (Nabi), it is like that. I hope (that he succeeds) because I have said in the past that it is not normal for a team like Chiefs is seven or eight in the league.”
Broos added, “It is not good for South African football. So, I hope – that again Chiefs is there (at the top) this season, that they fight with Sundowns, Pirates and Stellenbosch and SuperSport. That we get five or six teams fighting for the championship.
“That would be a big progression for South African football, and not the domination of one team like has been the case for the last five years.”
Chiefs will kick off their 2024-25 season against Marumo Gallants in Bloemfontein on 14 September in the Betway Premiership, where they were destroyed by Young Africans in a pre-season friendly.
That match exposed the need for Amakhosi to beef up their squad with quality players, something that was raised by Nabi and Yanga coach Miguel Gamondi after the game. The club reacted by signing Sirino and Miguel.
They are reportedly also after Stellenbosch FC’s defender Fawaaz Basadien.
Stellies have rejected their initial bid but the player is said to be eager to join the most supported club in South Africa – where he would link up with former teammates Ashley du Preez, Zitha Kwinika and Sibongiseni Mthethwa. Broos, however, doesn’t support that move.
“When you look at the level of Stellenbosch, and I hope that they qualify for the group stage of the Confederation Cup, I don’t know if it would be a good move for him to go to Chiefs,” he said.
“I don’t know! I don’t know! Okay, it’s Chiefs. It’s Chiefs! It’s very difficult for a player to refuse that, but on the other hand – everyone has to understand that Stellenbosch can’t sell all their players. Already, they have lost three important players (Iqraam Rayners, Deano van Rooyen and Antonio van Wyk) – and now there is talk about Fawaaz.”
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Stellies’ success has come at a price for the club, with their good run also attracting the eyes and wallets of the so-called big teams in the country as well as European and American club.
This has seen them lose key players, but somehow they have found a way to be stronger afterwards.
But Broos, who is following on the words of Mamelodi Sundowns’ coach Manqoba Mngqithi, believes this business model could hamper the club in the long run.
“I hope for Stellenbosch the end of September comes quickly because it will also be difficult for them to keep Jayden (Adams),” Broos said.
“It is not a nice thing for the club, because they make the players (and then other clubs come and sign those players). That is, sadly, the destiny of a team like Stellenbosch.
“I hope they go far in the (CAF) Confederation Cup because maybe they will be fighting for the league title next year.
“When you sell players like that, yes you have the money but then you can’t make a mistake on who you replace them with. He has to be as good as the one who left. It’s difficult for me to say they have to do this or that.
“For the player, it can be a good thing but not for the team. I would understand if Stellenbosch were to say, ‘Guys, the door is now shut and no one is going to leave. It is finished, you can offer us whatever you want but they are not leaving.’
“That wouldn’t be a bad thing for the players.”
