Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi would not be moved yesterday on whether Amakhosi can challenge for the Betway Premiership…
Kaizer Chiefs head coach Nasreddine Nabi would not be moved yesterday on whether Amakhosi can challenge for the Betway Premiership title.
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The 2025/26 season was launched in Sandton with the coaches of the 16 top flight clubs. And Nabi did vow that Chiefs would do better than last season, when they finished ninth in the table.
Chiefs’ Nabi – ‘Game by game’
“I won’t talk about the title, we will take it game by game,” said the Chiefs coach, whose side open their campaign at Stellenbosch on Sunday.
“For sure we will be better than last season. It is a tough league, but we know where we have come and where we want to go, and we are looking forward to it.
If Chiefs had a poor Premiership season in the 2024/25 campaign, they did do a Premiership double over Stellies, as well as also beating them en route to lifting the Nedbank Cup.
It was Steve Barker’s side, however, who finished third in the table to qualify for the Caf Confederation Cup for a second successive campaign.
“Coach Nabi has (previously) indicated that last season was not bad because they beat Stellenbosch three times and won the Nedbank Cup!,” quipped Barker, whose team will host Chiefs at Cape Town Stadium.
“It is always tough (to play them). It is a great start to the season, we know the fans will come out in numbers to support.”
New Orlando Pirates head coach Abdelsam Ouaddou will lead his side into their first Premiership game against Sekhukhune United on Saturday at Orlando Stadium.
Pirates’ winning start
Ouaddou got off to a winning start to his Buccaneers career, as his side comfortably beat Polokwane City 2-0 in the MTN8 quarterfinals on Saturday.
Oswin Appollis scored on debut in that game against his former side, and Ouaddou praised the role of Pirates scouts in the new signings they have made ahead of the new season.
“I think the scouts of the club did well,” he said.
“Pirates have an identity, a big history, they are a big club and know exactly what type of player they want.
“They need to quickly adapt to my ideas and game model, so let us see what the future tells us. But of course, we are ambitious for this season.”
‘I don’t care if it is just Pirates fans’
Sekhukhune head coach Eric Tinkler hopes there will be a packed Orlando Stadium again on Saturday, as there was last weekend.
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“It was great to see, and we are hoping to see that on Saturday again,” said Tinkler.
“I don’t care if it is just Pirates fans. We are motivated to go there and get a result.”
