Nasreddine Nabi has spoken out about his first season at Kaizer Chiefs, which has been disappointing yet still offers a huge opportunity to end the trophy drought.
Nabi has faced the swords from all directions and taken it all in his stride.
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For all the growing concerns around mounting pressure, his talk on the project has been consistent like an anthem, insisting that this is a process to be believed, in which might take two to three years but will be amazing to have a trophy along the way.
“The only pressure that I have here is coming from the fans,” says Nabi.
“When I’m outside and I see the fans, I try to do all my best to make them happy.
“You know the life here in South Africa is so expensive, so I need to make them happy so that they forget about the expensive life.
“When you enjoy football, you forget all your problems.
“Pressure is when your salary is finished before you pay for your house and school fees.
“I don’t have pressure, but I have respect for the club, the fans, the jersey and for that I’m honest with you.
“With the last result, I accept to be attacked, but I remain honest.
“The real pressure is societal pressure and for that I have big respect because you have some people come from Polokwane in a small Toyota, nine of them, for 300-400 or 600km to support the team.
“For that, I respect the sacrifice of the fans because they do everything and for that I’m sorry for the last result.
“I’m honest.
“I feel not comfortable if someone outside thinks I’m not honest with the team and with the fans.
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“That is the only thing that can make me a little bit angry because I’m honest with the team.
“Some teams play in the final of the Champions League and don’t have fans inside, but for us even with our situation, which is bad, we feel the fans behind us in every game.
“We have a big family behind us which is our fans,” says Nabi.
