Kaizer Chiefs (former)

Nasreddine Nabi

Role Former Head Coach
Age 60
Nationality Tunisian
Licence CAF Pro

Trophies

2

Reported salary

~R1.5m / month

description

Biography

Full Name

Nasreddine Nabi

Date of Birth

1965-08-09

Playing Career

Midfielder in the Tunisian top flight. No senior international caps. Retired in the late 1990s and moved directly into coaching.

Coaching Since

2013-2016

Languages

ArabicFrenchEnglish

Agent

Self-represented

shield

Kaizer Chiefs (former)

Spell Jun 2024 - early 2026
MTN8 wins 2 (2024-25, 2025-26)
League finish Outside top 4 both seasons
Reported salary ~R1.5m / month
Status Between jobs
Licence CAF Pro
View Kaizer Chiefs (former) arrow_forward
Nasreddine Nabi portrait — Wikimedia Commons (see CREDITS)
Profile

Nasreddine Nabi is the Tunisian head coach who managed Kaizer Chiefs from June 2024 until a confirmed exit in early 2026. He was the first Tunisian to lead a PSL club. During his Amakhosi spell he won back-to-back MTN8 cups in 2024-25 and 2025-26 but could not break Chiefs' decade-long league drought. Before Naturena he built his reputation at Young Africans in Tanzania, where he took two Ligue 1 titles.

Tactical Philosophy

Nabi is a defensive-structure coach first. Chiefs under him played a 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders, a narrow front three, and full-backs who held position rather than overlapping. The team's identity was organised defending, set-piece work and transitional attacks — not possession football.

Set-pieces carried a disproportionate share of his output at both Young Africans and Chiefs. A large percentage of Chiefs' MTN8-winning goals came from dead-ball situations, rehearsed in detail. The critique from South African media was that Nabi could not solve the Amakhosi's open-play attacking structure against mid-table opponents who sat deep, which is why league form lagged behind cup form.

dynamic_form

Preferred Formation

4-2-3-1

Managerial Timeline

Kaizer Chiefs

Jun 2024 - early 2026

MTN8 2024-25MTN8 2025-26

First Tunisian PSL coach. Won back-to-back MTN8 cups and ended Chiefs' trophy drought, but could not crack the top four in either league season.

Wins 27
P 62
Win% 44

Young Africans (Tanzania)

2022-2024

Tanzanian Premier League 2022-23Tanzanian Premier League 2023-24

Two back-to-back Tanzanian Premier League titles and a CAF Confederation Cup final. The job that put him on the PSL radar.

Wins 51
P 74
Win% 69

AS Vita Club (DR Congo)

2021

Short Congolese spell that broadened his African CV and attracted the Young Africans offer.

Wins 11
P 24
Win% 46

CS Sfaxien

2019-2020

Took CS Sfaxien to a CAF Confederation Cup group stage and a Tunisian Cup run.

Wins 18
P 41
Win% 44

Stade Tunisien

2017-2018

Mid-table Tunisian Ligue 1 finish with a limited-budget squad.

Wins 16
P 36
Win% 44

Union Sportive de Ben Guerdane

2013-2016

Earned the CAF Pro licence during this Tunisian top-flight spell. Built a reputation as a defensive-structure coach.

Wins 30
P 78
Win% 38
emoji_events

Notable Achievement

MTN8

With Kaizer Chiefs — back-to-back · 2024-25 & 2025-26

View Squad arrow_forward

emoji_eventsTrophies

  • military_tech
    MTN8
    With Kaizer Chiefs — back-to-back
    2024-25 & 2025-26
  • military_tech
    Tanzanian Premier League
    With Young Africans — back-to-back
    2022-23 & 2023-24

scoreboardNotable Matches

  • 5 Oct 2024 2-1
    Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 Orlando Pirates (MTN8 final)

    Nabi's first Soweto derby and his first South African trophy. Ended Chiefs' decade-long drought.

  • 12 Jan 2025 3-0
    Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 Kaizer Chiefs

    Heaviest league defeat of Nabi's Chiefs spell. Highlighted the open-play attacking gap against possession-first opposition.

  • 27 Sep 2025 1-0
    Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 Mamelodi Sundowns (MTN8 final)

    Second MTN8 title in a row — from a set-piece header. Peak of Nabi's Chiefs tenure.

  • 8 Feb 2026 1-0
    Chippa United 1-0 Kaizer Chiefs

    Result that reopened the exit speculation. Chiefs issued a public club statement the following week.

Expert Analysis

TM

Thabiso Mkhize

Senior Writer · 8 posts on Nasreddine

Coach FAQ

Who is Nasreddine Nabi? expand_more

Nasreddine Nabi is a 60-year-old Tunisian football coach, full name Mohamed Nasreddine Nabi, born on 9 August 1965 in Tunis. He was head coach of Kaizer Chiefs from June 2024 until a confirmed exit in early 2026 and was the first Tunisian to lead a PSL club.

Is Nasreddine Nabi still Kaizer Chiefs coach? expand_more

No. Kaizer Chiefs and Nabi confirmed an amicable separation in early 2026 after weeks of public discussions. The club issued an official statement and Nabi publicly confirmed the exit in a Goal.com interview, stating that several African and Arab clubs had contacted him since.

Why did Kaizer Chiefs part ways with Nasreddine Nabi? expand_more

The split followed a second league season outside the top four despite back-to-back MTN8 cup wins. Both sides described the separation as amicable. Reports linked the timing to ongoing discussions about Chiefs' direction and Nabi's desire to attend to personal and family matters.

Related

Team Kaizer Chiefs (former) arrow_forward Country Football in South Africa arrow_forward Competition PSL (Premier Soccer League) arrow_forward Club Kaizer Chiefs arrow_forward Club Mamelodi Sundowns arrow_forward Club Orlando Pirates arrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Nasreddine Nabi? add
Nasreddine Nabi is a 60-year-old Tunisian football coach, full name Mohamed Nasreddine Nabi, born on 9 August 1965 in Tunis. He was head coach of Kaizer Chiefs from June 2024 until a confirmed exit in early 2026 and was the first Tunisian to lead a PSL club.
Is Nasreddine Nabi still Kaizer Chiefs coach? add
No. Kaizer Chiefs and Nabi confirmed an amicable separation in early 2026 after weeks of public discussions. The club issued an official statement and Nabi publicly confirmed the exit in a Goal.com interview, stating that several African and Arab clubs had contacted him since.
Why did Kaizer Chiefs part ways with Nasreddine Nabi? add
The split followed a second league season outside the top four despite back-to-back MTN8 cup wins. Both sides described the separation as amicable. Reports linked the timing to ongoing discussions about Chiefs' direction and Nabi's desire to attend to personal and family matters.
What is Nasreddine Nabi's salary per month? add
Publicly reported figures put Nabi's Kaizer Chiefs package at roughly R1.5 million per month during his tenure, plus cup-win bonuses tied to MTN8 and CAF qualification. Chiefs did not disclose the exact figure, so reporting has varied across South African outlets.
What trophies did Nasreddine Nabi win? add
Two Tanzanian Premier League titles with Young Africans (2022-23 and 2023-24), plus back-to-back MTN8 cups with Kaizer Chiefs (2024-25 and 2025-26). The first MTN8 ended Chiefs' decade-long trophy drought.
What is Nasreddine Nabi's style of play? add
Defensive-structure first. Nabi sets teams up in a 4-2-3-1 with two holding midfielders, a narrow front three, and positional full-backs. He is known for detailed set-piece work — a disproportionate share of his cup-winning goals come from dead-ball situations — and transitional counter-attacks rather than possession build-up.
Where is Nasreddine Nabi from? add
Tunisia. Nabi was born in Tunis on 9 August 1965 and holds Tunisian citizenship. He is the first Tunisian coach to lead a South African Premier Soccer League club.
What teams has Nasreddine Nabi coached? add
Union Sportive de Ben Guerdane, Stade Tunisien, CS Sfaxien, AS Vita Club in DR Congo, Young Africans in Tanzania, and Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa. Young Africans and Kaizer Chiefs are his two best-known roles.
What language does Nasreddine Nabi speak? add
Nabi is a native Arabic speaker and conducts most of his public interviews in French. He also speaks conversational English, which he used with Chiefs players and at English-language PSL press conferences.
Did Nasreddine Nabi play football professionally? add
Yes, as a midfielder in the Tunisian top flight. He did not earn senior international caps and is not remembered as a notable player. His reputation is built entirely on the coaching work that followed his retirement in the late 1990s.
Where is Nasreddine Nabi now? add
As of April 2026 Nabi is between jobs after his confirmed exit from Kaizer Chiefs. He has told Goal.com that several African and Arab clubs contacted him following the split, but he wanted time to rest before committing to the next move.

Last updated 2026-04-22 · written by Thabiso Mkhize.