The new sheriff in town Nasreddine Nabi did not mince his words in his first conference in South Africa, and says it is unacceptable that a team of Kaizer Chiefs’ calibre is trophyless in nine years.
Nabi was speaking to the media ahead of the inaugural Toyota Cup against Young Africans of Tanzania on Sunday afternoon. The game will get underway at 3pm at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
Big shoes to fill, mammoth task
Chiefs touched base at the OR Tambo International Airport from their pre-season tour in Turkey on Wednesday.
It is well-documented how one of the biggest clubs in South Africa, Chiefs, has fallen down the pecking order in SA football. The club has not tasted silverware for almost a decade.
Nabi comes into unfamiliar territory in the Premier Soccer League. He has big shoes to fill, and now has a mammoth task ahead of him.
Plans to awaken a sleeping giant
The Tunisian international mentor has since labelled the dry spell at Naturena as unacceptable. And intends to challenge himself by awakening a sleeping giant.
“Looking at the name Kaizer Chiefs, and how big the club is in Africa, it is unacceptable for the club not to have had a title in nine years,” said Nabi at the Chiefs village in Naturena on Friday morning.
“Especially as the club has the biggest fans [in South Africa]. And is the biggest brand in South Africa, even in Africa.
30k tickets sold
“The place of where the club is supposed to be … where it has been and how big the club is, especially not having a title in a long time, that is what made me challenge myself to come here. The need to put the club back where it wants to be.”
Meanwhile, Amakhosi also confirmed that over 30,000 tickets for the game between Chiefs and Yanga have been sold.
