Sacking Nabi is not the solution for Chiefs, says Teko Modise

Former Bafana Bafana star Teko Modise has called on the Kaizer Chiefs fans to give coach Nasreddine Nabi a chance to prove himself.

Nabi, who joined Chiefs at the beginning of the season, has come under criticism from some of the club fans in recent months following Chiefs’ inconsistency in the Betway Premiership where they’re currently eighth on the log standings.

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Some Chiefs fans are even calling for his sacking, but Modise says it is too early to judge the Tunisian coach as this is his first season in South Africa.

“I think coach Nabi does deserve a chance {to prove himself). I think he deserves more time. From a person like me who is a fan of football, I believe that he needs to be afforded the chance to sign a couple of players that he needs, the kind of players that can easily adjust to the kind of demands that he wants and the style of play that he wants,” said Modise.

“I mean he still has the players that have been playing for Kaizer Chiefs last season and it’s the same players that were struggling last season. You can change as many coaches as you want but as long as the players remain the same and they don’t respond to the coach’s instructions or his ideology, it’s always going to be difficult to succeed.

“I think he does deserve the chance. Who knows? He might be the answer because not every coach in South African football becomes successful in his first season,” added the former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder.

‘Chiefs don’t have personnel to beat Sundowns’

Nabi still has a chance to redeem himself by winning the Nedbank Cup this season. Modise, however, does not see them getting past Sundowns whom they’re facing in the semifinals of the competition.

“It’s a very difficult one. You are coming to a game where Sundowns are overwhelming favourites and Chiefs having a mixed bag of results coming to this fixture. But the fans are expecting a victory which will be some kind of consolation prize if I might say that for the kind of season they’ve had.

“I don’t think Chiefs have the personnel to upset Mamelodi Sundowns, but we’ve seen remarkable things happening in football. Having said that, being favourites doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve already won the match, so Sundowns still need to go out and try to win the game,” said Modise, who is one of the Nedbank Cup ambassadors.

The game between Sundowns and Chiefs is set to take place at the Loftus Versfeld this coming Sunday (kick-off is at 6pm).