Kaizer Chiefs has been going through a tough period with the 2014/15 ABSA Premiership Trophy being their last taste of glory. If they fail to win a trophy this season it would be 10 years trophyless. The team’s slogan is love and peace but this run surely does not bring any love and peace to their fans. So for a team that has enjoyed incredible success over the years what has gone wrong in the past decade? Has the team finally turned the corner under Mohamed Nabi and his maverick crony Ilyes Mzoughi, are the glory days back at Naturena?
Coaches That Have Come Before Mohamed Nabi
Every team goes through a transition phase from one era to the next but at times without a proper strategy combined with insatiable appetite for microwave success this can turn out to be one error to the next. Since the departure of Stuart Baxter after winning the league championship, Kaizer Chiefs has brought in a number of coaches such as Steve Komphela, Ernest Middendorp, Gavin Hunt, Arthur Zwane, Molefi Ntseki and Cavin Johnson. There were caretaker coaches along the way including the likes of Patrick Mabedi and Dillon Sheppard and some pretenders who did not last long in the hot seat such as Gianni Solinas. Stuart Baxter was even brought back in 2021 to rekindle the good times but his stay did not last long and it was tainted by his glory-seeking venture of trying to usurp the honour of winning the CAF Champions League from Arthur Zwane who had led the team with Gavin Hunt to the final only for Gavin Hunt to be dismissed before the final. With Arthur Zwane taking over for less than a month before the final only for Stuart Baxter to lead the team in the final having not spent much time with the team, leading to an embarrassing result in the final against the mighty Al Ahly. Some questionable decisions were made such as starting Mashiane ahead of Khama Billiat, a player who was more experienced at such a big stage and as it would be a naïve Mashiane was sent off in the match. In this decade of agony Kaizer Chiefs did reach cup finals such as the Nedbank Cup where they also got embarrassed losing to TS Galaxy an NFD team at the time, it was all froth and no beer for the Amakhosi faithful.
Is Mohamed Nabi The Answer To Kaizer Chiefs?
After going through a period where the leadership wanted to give local coaches and club legends a chance and fans demanding microwave success, it seems it was time for seeking a reputable coach who has an exceptional track record to handle the ambitions of a big brand like Kaizer Chiefs. The luck of Bobby Motaung of fetching the hottest Zimbabwean prospects that yielded the likes of Knowledge Musona, Tinashe Nengomasha, Onismor Bhasera had run out. Football has changed, teams now have projects that have a long-term vision backed by a good scouting team, good junior structures, good funding from the club leadership and a coach who has a philosophy that filters throughout the club and comes with his own technical team to implement this. Nabi has seen it all having coached in various countries in Africa such as Morocco, Tanzania, Sudan, Libya. He recently led Yanga to two league titles in Tanzania in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 season and also taking the team to the CAF Confederation final in 2022/23 season. He laid the foundation for the Yanga team that is currently sending shock waves on the African continent, Mamelodi Sundowns were lucky to eliminate them in the 2023/24 CAF Champions League quarter-finals. He also won the league title with Al Hilal of Sudan in 2013 and Al-Ahli Benghazi of Libya in 2013. This is the man that Kaizer Chiefs needs to solve their problems, to challenge the dominant Mamelodi Sundowns who have won the league for 7 seasons in a row. So far he is showing signs of capability of achieving this feat given the impressive start to the season.
The Clash Between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns
Nabi comes head on with a Mamelodi Sundowns side also going through a transition with new head coach Manqoba. Many Mamelodi Sundowns fans had been so mesmerized by Rhulani’s possession football that they have been doubting that Manqoba is capable of replicating the same success. However, even though the craftsman has changed the tools are still the same, the players at Mamelodi Sundowns are still the same backed by the same leadership of Sporting Director Flemming Berg and Chairman Tlhopie Motsepe. Manqoba has found his mojo leading Mamelodi Sundowns to the group stages of the CAF Champions League and starting the season with two wins, many have now forgotten of the bad start of being eliminated from the MTN8 and the Manqoba era is now on. On the other hand, Kaizer Chiefs would want to revenge the losses from last season with Kaizer Chiefs being massacred 5-1 at FNB which is the venue of the meeting tomorrow on the 28th of September 2024. As both teams have started the season on fire with Kaizer Chiefs scoring for fun with new signings Gaston Sirino breathing fire and Miguel Inacio taking no prisoners. Sirino would want to prove a point to Mamelodi Sundowns for letting him go, we are set for a blockbuster fixture at FNB.
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