Khalil Ben Youssef shuts down claims Chiefs perform better in Nabi’s absence

Kaizer Chiefs assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef has once again addressed claims that the Soweto giants perform better in head coach Nasreddine Nabi’s absence, stating that the entire technical staff remains in constant communication.

The Glamour Boys have started the new 2025/26 season with two consecutive wins—a 2-0 victory over Stellenbosch FC and a 1-0 win against Polokwane City. Both matches were played without Nabi, who is currently in his home country of Tunisia after his wife was involved in a car accident.

While addressing the media on Monday at Kaizer Chiefs Village in Naturena as they prepare for their next match against Richards Bay FC at FNB Stadium on Tuesday, Ben Youssef insisted that Nabi’s absence has no negative impact on the team’s performance, as he remains deeply involved in all aspects of preparation and planning.

Some Chiefs fans joked last season that they preferred Ben Youssef in charge, as the team appeared more positive and consistently won under his command.

This running joke began when Ben Youssef took over for two matches while head coach Nasreddine Nabi was suspended. After consecutive losses to Cape Town City and Golden Arrows left team morale low, Ben Youssef’s influence was immediately felt.

In the first match against Sekhukhune United in the Betway Premiership with Ben Youssef in charge, Chiefs won 1-0 before hammering lower-league side Free Agents 4-0 in the Nedbank Cup round of 32, further fueling the fan speculation.

“I think whether the coach is here or not, we are a technical staff, all of us are a family, we work together, we keep contact every day,” said Ben Youssef.

“Every training session, we discuss and meet via Zoom with the technical staff to discuss all the plans. We prepare the team together. Yes, physically coach Nabi is not here, but he’s with us. We work together, we are a team. We help each other, and we don’t think about who is not here, who is here—all technical staff work together.”