Nabi’s FAR Rabat win semi, perhaps delaying Kaizer Chiefs announcement?

Reported Kaizer Chiefs coaching target Nasreddine Nabi's AS FAR Rabat beat Maghreb AS de Fès 2-0 in their Moroccan Throne Cup semifinal on Sunday night, perhaps delaying a coaching announcement at Naturena.

Moroccan King Mohammed VI reportedly sets the fixture date for the final of the Throne Cup, which has not yet been done, though the country's season-ending match seems sure to be played this weekend.

Reports have been that 58-year-old Tunisian coach Nabi is on the verge of signing as Chiefs' new coach.

The clearest indication those reposts could be valid was that the 51-year-old Frenchman reported to be joining Chiefs as Nabi's assistant, Fernando da Cruz, was filmed arriving at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday morning in a report on the football news site Far Post. Da Cruz was greeted by Chiefs' sporting director Kaizer Motaung Jr.

Nabi is under contract at FAR and the club would surely want him to oversee the Throne Cup final against the winners of Raja Casablanca and Mouloudia Oujda, whose semifinal is on Tuesday night.

However, Chiefs, if they are appointing Nabi, might want him to arrive before the final so he can begin planning and handling their preseason for a 2024-2025 season where the Soweto giants will be desperate to avoid going to an unprecedented decade without a trophy. Chiefs' previous longest period without silverware was a season.

Amakhosi ended the 2023-2024 DStv Premiership campaign with their worst finish of 10th place under caretaker coach Cavin Johnson. 

Nabi steered Rabat to second place in his lone season in the tough Moroccan Botola top flight league. They ended with a 2-0 win in their derby against FUS Rabat but Raja's 3-0 away victory against Mouloudia preserved their single-point lead.

Nabi earned a reputation as a coach capable of challenging for and winning trophies at Young Africans in the ever-improving Tanzanian Premier League, clinching the title in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. He steered “Yanga” to the Caf Confederation Cup final in the second of those campaigns, where they lost on away goals (2-2 aggregate) against USM Alger.

He was linked to the Chiefs job before the 2022-2023 season and had at least one meeting with the club, who surprisingly opted to move head of youth and technical and former Bafana Bafana boss Molefi Ntseki to the head coaching position.

Da Cruz also has plenty of experience, having managed Lille’s youth side and reserve teams, plus a stint as caretaker of the senior team, where he also worked as a scout; and Royal Excel Mouscron in Belgium's Jupiler Pro League top flight.

Reports have been Nabi would bring five new technical staff members with him if he joins Chiefs.