Chiefs seek to turn new leaf in Europe camp

Kaizer Chiefs leave for pre-season camp in Europe today hoping it marks the start of massive renewal after a decade of decline which has produced agony, disappointment and anxiety, but no trophy.

It is expected that incoming coach Nasreddine Nabi, who officially ended his spell at FAR Rabat of Morocco this week, will soon team up with Amakhosi in Türkiye, where they will set base before trekking to Asia to conclude their 2023/24 season tune-up.

While Amakhosi have been silent on Nabi, the Tunisian announced himself as the new coach following the defeat of FAR Rabat by Raja Casablanca in the Throne Cup on Monday. “I chose the Kaizer Chiefs offer because it is an honour for me to supervise a team of their value,” he was quoted as saying by Tunisian media.

Nabi will meet the team in the next week or so, but he has received regular briefings from his assistant Fernando da Cruz who came the SA two weeks ago to oversee the initial preseason stage. Hammadi Sghir, Nabi’s other assistant, is expected to travel straight to Türkiye to join the team.

Chiefs, meanwhile, are expected to leave the country without veteran keeper Itumeleng Khune, whose future is still unclear. The contract the club offered him last winter has now lapsed, and while he has expressed his desire to continue playing, Chiefs are not willing to give him a new playing deal.

“The club released a statement at the start of last season and he was even honoured in the last home match [against Polokwane City in May]. The statement was very clear that this was his last playing contract,” said a Chiefs insider.

Chiefs’ sporting direct Kaizer Motaung Jnr has explained why they chose to hold preseason abroad. “The most crucial aspect of a preseason camp is to make sure the team is building unity and overall mental readiness for the season ahead,” he said in a statement.

“These are vital as every top team needs to work together to build its internal strength to be prepared for the challenges ahead. More specifically for us, with a new incoming coaching structure, it helps for the new coaching team to have the squad away from their normal environment to assess what work must be done and how they need to work going forward together.

“We are looking forward to a productive preparation process, and we hope the team will be able to focus on the job at hand as we gear towards starting the season strongly.”

– Additional reporting by Neville Khoza