Amid the decade-long trophy drought and the recent uninspiring run of form, Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi says the only pressure that he is feeling is from the fans.
“Which pressure? Is football pressure? The only pressure I have is from the fans. When I am outside, I try to do my best to make them happy,” Nabi said. He was speaking during the Nedbank Cup semi-final press conference in Sandton on Thursday afternoon.
Amakhosi will lock horns against Mamelodi Sundowns in the second semi-final clash. The game will be at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Sunday evening, and will get underway at 6pm.
Final appearance at domestic cup competition
Amakhosi are on the verge of making a domestic cup competition final appearance for the first time in six years. The last time Chiefs played in a domestic cup final was in 2019, when they lost to TS Galaxy in the Nedbank Cup.
Standing in Amakhosi’s way is a strong Sundowns side that has beaten them three times already this season.
Despite the Nedbank Cup being the last piece of silverware Amakhosi are in contention for to potentially end their trophy drought, Nabi said he will not feel any pressure should he end the season trophyless.
“If we don’t win this trophy, we must continue working. Will I be under pressure if we lose this one? No, no! The real pressure is social, where people’s salaries are finished a day after payday. You … need to pay school fees for your child, that’s real pressure.
No pressure
“We’re trying to build our team in this first year [of his stint]. It’s a process, but if we get an opportunity to win a trophy while we’re still building our team, why not?
“We play to win, but there’s no pressure inside because the project is underway. We agreed with the board that the process will take two or three years. And after those years, we’ll be a better team that can play for cups and even for CAF tournaments,” he added.
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