Kaizer Chiefs left for Angola on Thursday without coach Nasreddine Nabi, who was mulling over an offer for an early termination of his contract after a dramatic week involving questions about the validity of his coaching badges.
Sowetan has been told Nabi was reminded his Uefa pro licence needed to be renewed for him to occupy the bench when Chiefs begin their Caf Confederation Cup campaign against Kabuscorp at Luanda's Estádio 11 de Novembro on Saturday (5pm SA time).
However, the coach’s licence apparently expired in 2023 and a December 2024 circular from the Confederation of African Football (Caf) instructed teams they would not be allowed to have coaches without valid licences on their benches for intercontinental fixtures this season.
“Caf has been lenient but they reminded clubs months ago they won’t be this time,” an insider told Sowetan.
“The coach was informed, but he seemingly didn’t take the situation seriously. He was asked this week to produce a valid licence and did not.”
As a result, Chiefs opted to suspend the coach, who instead requested to speak to his representatives about initiating talks over a mutual termination of his contract, which was set to expire next year.
Chiefs have not commented because, at the time of writing, Nabi had not signed a settlement agreement, Sowetan has been informed.
The truth is at the start of this week he didn’t have a valid licence. The one he submitted has expired. He couldn’t sit on the bench. He was informed he won’t be travelling to Angola.
— An insider
News of the coach’s sudden departure is believed to have leaked from his own camp after he was informed he would be suspended.
“He wanted to gain public sympathy,” another Chiefs insider said.
“But the truth is at the start of this week he didn’t have a valid licence. The one he submitted to the club has expired. He couldn’t sit on the bench. He was informed he won’t be travelling to Angola because he’s in breach of his contract.”
It is unclear what the terms of Nabi’s sudden termination are, with the standard being three to six months' settlement, depending on the length of the contract.
It is also unknown whether Nabi is eager to continue at Amakhosi, but he was not helped by Tuesday’s listless 3-1 Premiership defeat to Sekhukhune United at FNB Stadium.
That was Chiefs' first league loss in a surprise strong start in the league, where they had won four out of five matches and drawn the other before Tuesday.
Nabi ended the club's disastrous 10-year barren trophy spell with victory over arch-rivals Orlando Pirates in last season's Nedbank Cup final. However, Chiefs were dull and inconsistent in a poor 2024-25 Premiership campaign, ending in ninth place.
That the club performed admirably this season when he was on compassionate leave, tending to his injured wife after an accident in Tunisia, also made Chiefs conclude Nabi was expendable.
His assistants, Khalil Ben Youssef and Cedric Kaze, will take charge of the fixture against Kabuscorp. They should do so again in a league fixture against Marumo Gallants on Wednesday, by which time Chiefs hope the Nabi chapter will have been closed for good.
Nabi also, seemingly, has accepted his fate but attributed his departure to family commitments.
“I need some time to rest, focus on my family and monitor my wife's health,” he was quoted as saying by the website Transfermarkt.
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