OPINION:  Chiefs’ Nabi needs Nedbank Cup to show progress

Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi strikes me as someone who sees reaching the Nedbank Cup final as an achievement in itself. If that’s his measure of success, then he needs a reality check. For a club of Chiefs’ stature, merely making it to a final means very little.

Yes, Amakhosi haven’t lifted a trophy since the 2014–15 season, but even during this extended drought, they’ve had several shots at glory. The truth is, getting to a final is not new territory, it’s winning that counts.

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If Nabi fails to win against Orlando Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday, he’ll find himself lumped in with a long list of predecessors who promised much but delivered nothing.

There is no space at Amakhosi for moral victories like contesting a cup final. This is a club with a history built on success and reaching a final without winning it is not progress. In fact, it’s a reminder of how far the club has fallen. In a few years, no one will remember who finished second.

Let’s not forget that Steve Komphela led Chiefs to two consecutive cup finals in 2015. Ernst Middendorp reached the Nedbank Cup final in 2019, only to lose to TS Galaxy.

There was the 2021 CAF Champions League final defeat to Al-Ahly. To be honest, none of these near-misses hold any weight among Chiefs fans because they’re markers of disappointment, not success.

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If Nabi fails to end this nine-year trophy drought, it will be near impossible to convince anyone that his so-called rebuild is gaining traction. If recent tensions with the media are anything to go by, the pressure is clearly mounting.

It goes without saying that past glory will not buy the 59-year-old time at the Soweto giants. To justify his position, the Tunisian coach needs silverware, full stop.

The league table tells its own story because sitting outside the top eight in the Betway Premiership after 26 matches is unacceptable. Failing to qualify for the MTN8 Cup Competition next season would be a massive failure, and one that should push the club’s leadership into action.

Four losses in the last seven league games hardly inspire confidence. Journalists and pundits have every right to question whether Nabi is the man to lead Chiefs beyond this current season.

Winning the Nedbank Cup could rescue the season for the former kings of South African football. However, to truly convince me that the coach can awaken this sleeping giant, a top-eight league finish is also non-negotiable. 

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For a club of Chiefs’ calibre, the standards are high and the time for talking is over. It’s win or bust for the French-speaking coach or history will also judge him harshly.