Kaizer Chiefs’ rollercoaster season has taken another dip, with the team now reeling from three defeats in their last five Betway Premiership matches.
The latest setback means they have now lost 10 games under Nasreddine Nabi’s tenure, tallying a worrying 12 defeats, five draws, and just 10 wins since the coach’s appointment. As things stand, the mighty Amakhosi find themselves scraping the barrel in eighth place on the league table.
With only seven matches to go, the looming specter of finishing outside the Top 8 is becoming all too real — a nightmare for any Chiefs fan, let alone a club with such a storied legacy.
Nabi’s contract runs until 2026, but with the supporters growing increasingly frustrated, the speculation surrounding his future is escalating. Over the years, Chiefs have been notorious for their revolving door of coaches, with countless names coming and going in quick succession.
But here's the stark reality: it has been a decade since Chiefs last lifted the league title, with the 2014/15 season feeling like a distant memory. On paper, Nabi’s reign seems less than impressive, but firing him now may be a knee-jerk reaction that will only add fuel to the fire.
Chiefs’ current project isn’t going to be salvaged by statistics alone. What they need at this critical juncture is stability, not another cycle of starting afresh with a new coach.
The messaging coming from the club is paramount at this point. The time to back the coach — genuinely, not just in words — is now.
How long will Chiefs continue to chop and change managers?
At this rate, the club is on the verge of becoming a managerial graveyard, where the next loss sees another coach packing their bags.
Consider the long list of past casualties: Cavin Johnson, Molefi Ntseki, Arthur Zwane, Stuart Baxter, Gavin Hunt, and Ernst Middendorp. All had their time, all were given their shot, but none were able to crack the code and, ultimately, all were shown the door.
Even if you can bring in Pitso, the toxic Kaizer Chiefs fans will be calling for his head like they are doing to Nabi.
Rebuilding a club that has been dead for 10 years requires a process....one or two seasons. Even Pitso needed time at Sundowns. pic.twitter.com/iiDXj7XrkU
The reality that cannot be ignored is that last season, Chiefs finished in a historically low tenth place, their worst ever finish in the PSL era. Given that backdrop, expecting a return to the top in a single season was always an unrealistic dream.
The second reason to resist the urge to sack Nabi is a matter of sustainability. The constant influence of radical supporters has played a significant role in the club’s decisions over the years, often pushing for immediate changes in leadership. But Chiefs’ hierarchy needs to take a firmer stance now more than ever. Listening to every whim of the supporters, whose opinions shift with every passing match, isn’t a blueprint for success.
Amakhosi are in a delicate spot, and they need leadership and conviction to see this through, not to pander to every frustration.
Chiefs must remain focused on the long-term vision if they are ever to return to their glory days. It’s time for the club to show more patience, a commodity they seem to have forgotten in recent years, and trust in the process.