Da Cruz and Nabi relationship breaks down amid Chiefs pay dispute

 

Fernando da Cruz’s relationship with Nasreddine Nabi has deteriorated at Kaizer Chiefs, with an alleged disagreement over his share of the club’s technical-team package contributing to his departure before the start of the 2024/25 season.

Da Cruz initially joined Chiefs as Nabi’s assistant coach at the beginning of that campaign. However, the Frenchman left the role shortly before the season began to take up a position with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), where he reported to director of technical development Jamal Fathi.

The two coaches had only worked together at Chiefs for just under two months, but their relationship has since become strained. Da Cruz was the first of the pair to arrive at Naturena and oversaw the opening stages of pre-season while Nabi completed his contractual commitments with Moroccan club AS FAR Rabat.

Nabi later joined the squad during Chiefs’ pre-season camp in Turkey.

Information gathered by KickOff.com indicates that differences had emerged between Da Cruz and Nabi, with financial considerations understood to have been central to the breakdown. Chiefs are regarded as one of the highest-paying clubs not only in South Africa but also elsewhere on the continent.

The club’s technical structure followed a model commonly used across Africa and in the Middle East. Under that arrangement, a head coach arrives with a preferred backroom team and the club agrees an overall package, which is then divided among the head coach, assistants and performance staff.

Usually, the head coach receives the largest proportion, while the remainder is shared according to the individual agreements reached within the technical team.

For example, a monthly package of R1m could be divided into R500,000 for the head coach, R150,000 for each of two assistants, R90,000 for a goalkeeping coach and R110,000 for a fitness trainer, depending on the terms agreed.

The head coach is responsible for reaching agreements with the members of the staff he brings to the club.

Nabi’s team at Chiefs included Da Cruz and Khalil Ben Youssef as assistant coaches, Ilyes Mzoughi as goalkeeping coach and Safi Majdi as strength and conditioning coach.

It has now emerged that Da Cruz was unhappy with what he was due from the package, and that the alleged dispute played a role in his decision to leave before the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign.

Cedric Kaze subsequently replaced him. Da Cruz’s departure also attracted interest from Chippa United, who attempted to appoint him as their head coach after seeing the financial figures involved in Nabi’s deal and the wider technical-team arrangements.

The tensions have continued following Da Cruz’s return to duties at Chiefs. He has kept his distance from Nabi, a move understood to reflect the friction between the pair.

The dispute also affected members of Nabi’s wider staff. Mzoughi and Majdi were among those aligned with the Tunisian coach who had to leave the club after Chiefs confirmed that Ben Youssef and Kaze would not be retained.

Da Cruz has since assembled his own technical team at Chiefs. It includes Mahmoud Abbas as assistant coach, Sorin Olivier as goalkeeping coach and Julien Le Heran as head of strength and fitness.