Former Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs star Stanton Fredericks has pleaded with Amakhosi supporters to be patient with the next coach that will take over the hot seat next season, with Nasreddine Nabi the frontrunner after the club had a verbal agreement in principle with the Tunisian.
It’s exactly four weeks since the DStv Premiership wrapped up and the glamour club is yet to make the long-awaited announcement of Nabi as the official successor to Molefi Ntseki, who faced the sharp end of the axe seven months ago.
Fredericks, who was part of the glory days at Chiefs and the “Operation Vat Alles” era, said: “I am not aware of the style of football that he plays and I don’t have a lot of information on Nabi, but what is needed at Chiefs is change, more than anything,” Fredericks told Sunday World this week.
“So, depending on who the coach will be, that person will have a mammoth task on his hands. What I know is that Chiefs will give you a chance and the fans just need to be patient.”
However, amid the excitement around Nabi, Fredericks emphasised the importance of the club hierarchy roping in a coach who will understand the “Chiefs way” and the challenge at hand. “The next question is what is the Chiefs’ way? That is a winning and winning style of play.
“However, it will not happen at the same time.
“You must first gain confidence, sometimes play ugly to win matches and once the confidence and winning mentality are there, you can then develop the playing style and play well.
“So, that is going to be the challenge for the new coach because the club is desperate for a cup. But it won’t happen overnight.
“Also, it’s not only what the coach needs to bring but the entire Kaizer Chiefs family needs to understand – in terms of the fans, the administration, the players and obviously the coach,” Fredericks added.
Following last season’s disaster, where Chiefs fumbled the Nabi deal after not agreeing terms at the last minute, which led to the surprise appointment of Ntseki, Amakhosi are said to have landed their man.
They gave Nabi the greenlight to bring his technical staff and have the final say on signings, hence there have not been any incomings and outgoings at the club so far, with less than three weeks remaining until the players return for pre-season.
According to various sources close to the club, the big announcement of Nabi is imminent, but Amakhosi has stalled the process because they want to respect his current club AS FAR of Morocco, as they had to conclude their domestic league title race on Friday night.
