Kaizer Chiefs: Top 5 coaches that could replace Nasreddine Nabi

With coach Nasreddine Nabi leaving Kaizer Chiefs, the Glamour Boys are set to be in the market for a new tactician to take over the hot seat.

The Chiefs job is one of the biggest in African football and comes with plenty of pressure and scrutiny and the next coach will have to be a man who can handle everything that comes with the post.

Chiefs are yet to officially confirm Nabi’s departure but announced last week that talks are ongoing over a parting of ways with his assistants Khalil Ben Youssef Cedric Kaze set to be in charge during the transition period.

A number of overseas candidates have already expressed an interest in the Chiefs job but who are the potential candidates to replace Nabi at Chiefs?

Benni McCarthy

Currently in a job, Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy ticks most boxes and has previously complained about being overlooked for the big jobs in South Africa with foreign candidates preferred.

Benni would be a ‘plug and play’ as he would not need a period of adaptation given he understands the country, league and the demands of the job.

He is also a coach who preaches attacking football but is never afraid to be pragmatic when the situation demands and could get the most out of a Chiefs squad that has been underperforming given what he did at Cape Town City and AmaZulu.

The biggest impediment is that McCarthy is employed as the head coach of Kenya and he has a contract up to 2027 although there is a clause that allows a three-month notice if either party wants to sever ties.

Sead Ramovic

The German tactician is also familiar to the PSL after his work with TS Galaxy, who he coached for three years from 2021-2024, and ensured top eight finishes.

Ramovic is also alive to the high-pressure jobs, having taken over Tanzanian giants Yanga briefly, before ditching them for his current club CR Belouizdad of Algeria.

The 46-year-old is also pragmatist who plays for the result rather than entertaining fans and this is perhaps what success-starved Chiefs fans need given they have signed a lot of players with potential.

Pitso Mosimane

The biggest name in South African football when it comes to coaching, Pitso Mosimane would be a popular choice but whether Chiefs would meet his high demands remains the question.

Mosimane is a highly ambitious coach who prefers to work at clubs that have everything in place for him to succeed and also likes to come with his own men. Mosimane would need the Chiefs leadership to do as he says, something that could put him at loggerheads with the Motaung family that runs Amakhosi.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly coach would also demand some big-name signings to bolster the squad and if his ambition is not matched, he would walk away.

However, given his impressive CV, attractive style of play and the fact that he is not employed, the five-time PSL-winning coach would bring success and he is also familiar with high pressure working environments given his stints at Sundowns, Al Ahly and in Al Ahli Jeddah.

Jose Riveiro

Former Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro claimed he would never coach another club in South Africa but could Chiefs be too good an offer to turn down?

Riveiro had a successful three-year stint at Pirates where he won five trophies before departing for Egyptian giants Al Ahly but he lasted just three months before he was sent packing.

That is not how it was meant to be for the ‘Spanish guitar’ and he would love another chance to prove that what he did at Pirates was no fluke.

Like most of the aforementioned, Riveiro is familiar to the PSL, plays an attractive brand of football while his personality would appeal to the powers that be at Chiefs as he likes to make the most of what he has.

However, whether he is ready to soil his Pirates legacy for a crack at the Chiefs job remains the big question.

Manqoba Mngqithi

Golden Arrows coach Manqoba Mngqithi previously revealed how he turned down a chance to coach Chiefs but can he reject them for a second time now?

The 54-year-old coach is a rank outsider for the Chiefs job but he has plenty of experience both at Arrows and at Mamelodi Sundowns, working at the latter for 13 years before his brutal sacking last December.

Mngqithi was dismissed by Sundowns even though his team were top of the league in the PSL with poor results in the CAF Champions League proving to be the final straw but he would love a chance to prove that he is as good as the big names.

Sundowns claimed his football was not good on the eye but Chiefs fans would not care as long as he is winning and he is also another tactician that would be happy to work with what is available to him, something that would be appealing to the bosses at Naturena.