COMMENT | Naturena paralysis, Chiefs’ hesitation turns promise into regression

Kaizer Chiefs’ eight-game winless run from open play is no fluke. It’s the result of hesitation, muddled thinking, and indecision at the very top of South Africa’s most decorated football club.

When a team of Chiefs’ magnitude finds itself fourth on the Betway Premiership table, yet separated by just three points from 10th-placed Marumo Gallants, the issue is clearly structural, not situational. 

Chiefs’ current crisis is not born on the pitch — it’s cultivated in the boardroom.

The club’s decision to sack head coach Nasreddine Nabi after his first league defeat of the season is the latest example of poor executive judgment. 

If Chiefs truly doubted Nabi’s long-term suitability, then why give him a full pre-season to rebuild, recruit and redefine the team’s style? Why wait until the campaign had already taken shape to pull the trigger?

This wasn’t a shock decision either. Rumours of Nabi’s potential exit had circulated as early as last season — even after he delivered the Nedbank Cup. 

If Chiefs had already made up their minds, then the logical move would have been to start afresh in July, not disrupt the team’s momentum two months into the campaign.

Instead, the club took a half-hearted approach — removing Nabi, but keeping his assistants in charge until the end of the season. 

That decision raises more questions than it answers. Does it mean Chiefs want to continue implementing the Tunisian’s tactical ideas but without his personality? Or does it simply expose the absence of a clear succession plan?

To add further intrigue, Nabi wasn’t even on the bench for the opening four matches of the season due to a family emergency. During that period, his assistants led the team and won three of the first four games. 

That winning start has now been replaced by eight games without victory, underlining how fragile the club’s current direction is. Continuity without conviction is not a plan — it’s wishful thinking.

Then there’s the on-field leadership puzzle. 

Chiefs recently appointed goalkeeper Brandon Petersen as club captain, but one has to wonder: why now? Why not when Nabi was still in charge? Such timing only reinforces the perception that the club makes reactive, rather than proactive, decisions.

What makes matters worse is that Chiefs have become predictable, both in play and in planning. Opponents no longer fear them because the club no longer projects certainty or authority. 

Every move — from the dugout to the dressing room — feels improvised, like a team waiting for direction that never truly comes.

All of this paints a picture of a team suffering from institutional hesitation. Chiefs remain a club with immense resources, talent and fan backing — but those assets are undermined by a leadership vacuum that fears decisive action. 

Until the decision-makers at Naturena show clarity, confidence and conviction in their footballing choices, the team will remain stuck in a cycle of half-measures and quick fixes. 

Chiefs’ decline is not accidental. It’s self-inflicted — and unless the club finds the courage to lead with purpose, this winless run may only be the beginning.