Khalil Ben Youssef dedicates Chiefs’ win over Stellies to Nabi

Kaizer Chiefs’ 2025/26 season-opening victory over Stellenbosch FC in the Betway Premiership was more than just three points; it was a tribute to their absent head coach. Assistant coach Khalil Ben Youssef dedicated the win to Nasreddine Nabi, who was forced to fly home to Tunisia due to a family emergency.

Nabi travelled back home on Friday to be with his wife after she was involved in a serious accident. In his absence, Ben Youssef and fellow assistant coach Cedric Kaze took the reins for the team’s preparations and their 2-0 win over Stellenbosch FC.

The match, which took place at a packed Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, saw Nkosingiphile Ngcobo score a brilliant free-kick and Glody Makabi Lilepo secure the win with a penalty. The victory moved the Glamour Boys up to third on the league table.

After the game, Ben Youssef told SuperSport TV, “We promised the whole Khosi family that we would win this game for the coach (Nabi)and his wife. We are praying that she will be okay.”

Amakhosi’s assistant coach also praised the players for their performance, saying, “We are so proud of our players. They did very well, and I think they performed very well. In the first half, we suffered a little because after we scored and the opponent got a red card, we thought the game was over. But we were lucky not to concede.

“In the second half, we changed a lot of things. And like I said, we’re proud of the players, all of them did very well.”

The Soweto giants will turn their attention to their next match against Polokwane City FC on Wednesday at home. Ben Youssef added, “We’re also happy for the fans. Now we have finished this game, and we’ll start thinking about the next game. We only have two days to rest, and we have to think about the next game.”