Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi has watered down claims of leaving the Premier Soccer League side.
Nabi’s future with Amakhosi hanged in the balance when reports emerged that he was considering an offer to coach the Tunisia national male team as they fight to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, shortly after Chiefs beat Stellenbosch by 1-0 on Friday night, the Tunisian-born manager told reporters that he had rejected advances from his native Federation over the vacant senior men’s team position.
"I'd like to say thank you to Dr Kaizer Motaung, Kaizer Jr and Bobby Motaung, and the entire management. I have been offered an opportunity to go coach my country," said Nabi, as translated by assistant coach Cedric Kaze.
"And we sat together and decided that I'm going to pass on this big opportunity to coach my mother country, but I also feel it's an honour to be here and I say thank you to the management and everyone."
There have been several reports that indicate the Tunisian Football Federation would have had to cough out an amount in the region of $700,000 to trigger the release clause in Nabi’s contract.
The 59-year-old shared his thoughts on Chiefs slim victory over Stellenbosch which moved them up to the fourth spot on the table, with 25 points from 17 matches.
"I'm very happy about the performance today, and for the three points, it's not easy to beat a team like Stellenbosch two times in the space of a few weeks," he added. "Because they are a very good team with very good coaching staff, and also to win in Cape Town is not always easy, so I'm very happy with the three points and the performance."
Comments