Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi says he understands the fans’ frustration over the slow process of rebuilding the team and that is why he does not use it as an excuse.
Chiefs have endured another inconsistent season that sees them in sixth place in the PSL with 25 points, 17 behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Glamour Boys are left fighting for the Nedbank Cup as the only available trophy to them and Nabi understands that he will not keep using the rebuild as an excuse when they fail to impress.
That is why the veteran tactician is taking his team’s Nedbank Cup Round of 16 tie against Chippa United on Saturday seriously.
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“We want to go as far as we can, even until the end, it’s the league cup, it’s always a difficult game, you can’t rely on the last result we got against Chippa,” Nabi, whose team beat Chippa 1-0 in December, said during his pre-match press conference on Thursday, as quoted by iDiski Times.
“It was a difficult game unlocked by the mastermind of Shabalala. We expect a very difficult game, we’re prepared for it, doing our due diligence, we have worked through everything, tactically and technically in planning for this game. We hope that our performance will be good against a very good Chippa United team.”
With Chiefs fans now entering the 10th year without watching their team lift a trophy, there has been frustration at how long they will have to wait but Nabi says returning the club to its glory days is a process although he understands that they are tired of hearing it.
Fans are tired of rebuilding – Nabi
“The fans don’t want to hear ‘project or process’, the want results, they have been hearing about rebuilding, projects, but from myself – we don’t need to react with emotions,” he added.
“Without a project you do not guarantee the success, which doesn’t mean we don’t play to get results, every game, we need to do everything to win, even when you’re building.
“We believe the players are starting to get confidence, in themselves, in the message conveyed by the technical staff and being confident in dealing with pressure that comes with being at a big club.”
Chiefs last lifted a trophy when they won the league and cup double in the 2024-25 season under English coach Stuart Baxter.
