Nabi appeals to Chiefs fans to help team win their last match

Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi says rumours of his potential exit from the team should they fail to finish in the top eight this season has created confusion at the club.

Nabi denied reports that he will be fired after the club’s inconsistent run in the Betway Premiership, where they sit at ninth on the log table and are in danger of being excluded from the top eight once again.

“The news comes from journalists — it doesn’t come from anywhere [official], and it’s not respectful,” Nabi told the media after Chiefs’ 1-1 draw with Sekhukhune United at Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. “Why is it that every time they say, ‘Is Nabi staying, or what?’ It is not correct.

“I respect all of you journalists, and you all should also respect me because this news is bad for me; it creates confusion in my team.

“And this is not correct, [people] all [around] Africa have been calling me, thinking I’m free because I have finished with Chiefs,” he added, appealing to journalists to “please be professional”.

Nabi remains optimistic Chiefs will finish in the top eight, saying they will have to beat Polokwane City in their final match at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

“If you look at the table, I think it is a situation that will be resolved in the last game, [at] the last minute. But we are going to do everything [to finish in the top eight],” he said.

“We are confident. We are playing at home in the last game, and we will have our supporters. Everyone knows how important it is [to finish in the top eight]. I appeal to our fans to come to FNB Stadium for our last game. We need them because the game is very important. We need these three points, and we need them to support us to win the game.”

The Tunisian coach said he was pleased with the progress of Glody Lilepo, who netted the equaliser to score his sixth goal for the club after Mpho Rammala put Sekhukhune in the lead early in the first half on Saturday.

“We feel he [Lilepo] is a player who has not yet reached his full potential because, before coming here, he spent some months without playing due to difficulties with his previous team.

“Once he reaches his full potential and understands his teammates and has a good preseason, he is a player that can do more than he has been doing [until] now.”

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