Hugo Broos tips Nasreddine Nabi to restore Kaizer Chiefs pride

Fielding media questions shortly after announcing the latest Bafana squad to play 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers next week, Broos revealed that he’s already met with Nabi following his arrival in Naturena a few weeks ago. 

Last season, Broos was vocal about Chiefs' decline, but, after meeting Nabi, says the Belgian-Tunisian sounds like someone with a good plan to change the club’s fortunes.

"When I came back from Belgium – I didn't know this, but he lives in the same building as me – and someone from Kaizer Chiefs came to me and said, 'Coach, our coach wants to speak to you,' and I was sitting and drinking a coffee," revealed Broos.

"So I spoke with him and he's a very good coach. I think, if you see what's happening at Chiefs, it's a different thing hey. His thinking – if I can say that – is European, he wants what he wants.

"Maybe it's a little bit easier for him to achieve that at Chiefs, because it's not easy to be a coach of Chiefs, and I think it's not so easy for a South African coach to slam on the table and say, 'No, I want that.' But you see, with him, it's like that."

Upon his arrival in the country three years ago, Broos selected a sizable number of Chiefs players, but Amakhosi’s struggles during his tenure have seen those numbers rapidly dwindle. 

The 72-year-old says South African football needs a strong Chiefs, which he feels the former Yanga and AS FAR head coach has what it takes to restore one of the country’s biggest clubs.

"I think and hope, because I've said it in the past already, it's not normal that a team like Chiefs is seventh or eighth in the league – it's not good for South African football," he added.

"So I hope Chiefs is again there [among the top teams] next season, and that they will fight with Sundowns, Pirates, maybe with SuperSport or Stellenbosch FC, and maybe we will have five or six teams fighting for the championship.

"This [would be] a big progression in South African football, rather than the domination of one team, like we've had in the last five years."

READ: Nabi’s advice to Mfundo Vilakazi on how to use his skills