Kaizer Chiefs are at a crossroads

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Kaizer Chiefs’ latest outing inflicted more pain on an already tender fanbase, deepening the scars from last season’s tenth-place league finish – the worst campaign in AmaKhosi history.

A 2-0 loss to Richards Bay cemented Nasreddine Nabi’s side to eighth on the log heading into the international break. Tomorrow’s opponents, Golden Arrows, five points behind Chiefs with three games in hand, have already dampened Kaizer Chiefs’ spirits, defeating the Soweto giants 1-0 on January 12.

If Abafana Bes’thende does the double, Nasreddine Nabi will hold the unfortunate record of being the first Kaizer Chiefs coach to endure back-to-back defeats to the Durban outfit.

Cup glory

The Glamour Boys’ silver lining of the season is their Nedbank Cup success. They defeated Stellenbosch FC in the quarter-finals to line up their best shot at a trophy in years.

Kaizer Chiefs have yet to discover their semi-final opponents following the postponement of Mamelodi Sundowns’ last-eight clash against Sekhukhune United, which is due to kick off tonight.

MTN8 qualification is another milestone Nabi must achieve. Failure to do so could spell the end of his AmaKhosi career.

April will be a defining month for Nabi and Kaizer Chiefs, who are trying to save themselves from further nationwide ridicule; but it’s the former whose job hangs in the balance.

R80 transfer budget

The Soweto side have increased their transfer budget to R80 million – a R20 million increase from January – as they prepare for another busy transfer window

“It’s believed that the club has already come up with the budget for next season, and it’s believed to be R80 million. You know, last season they started with R50 million, which they raised to R60 million in the January transfer window, and that means they are raising it by R20 million,” a source revealed.

“It’s because they are looking at signing quality with most of the players that they are targeting. So, their intentions are looking good with the new budget,” the source revealed.”