Former Kaizer Chiefs head coach Khalil Ben Youssef has officially fired back at persistent rumors accusing him and fellow assistant Cedric Kaze of backstabbing Nasreddine Nabi before his dramatic exit from Naturena.
Nabi, who famously ended Amakhosi’s agonizing ten-year trophy drought after arriving in 2024, parted ways with the Glamour Boys during a turbulent 2025/26 campaign. When Nabi’s final farewell message conspicuously omitted any mention of Kaze and Ben Youssef, furious fans speculated that the assistant duo had actively plotted against their boss to steal the hot seat.
Now, Ben Youssef is setting the record straight, revealing that Nabi was never sacked—he walked out on his own terms.
The Naturena Conspiracy Refuted
The coaching hierarchy was thrown into disarray early in the season when Nabi had to rush back to North Africa to attend to his wife following a serious car accident. In his absence, Ben Youssef and Kaze took the wheel, steering Chiefs to three consecutive victories.
When a distracted Nabi returned, Amakhosi’s form stuttered, yielding just four points from three matches, leading to a brief suspension and his ultimate departure. Rumors immediately swirled that the assistants had used the mid-season winning streak to pressure management.
“People tried to push and say we’re doing the job, not coach Nabi,” Ben Youssef told iDiski Times. “You were there in those press conferences, and we always said the honest and direct thing—that we’re together. The game plan came from coach Nabi, and we were working as a technical staff team.”
“Nabi Chose to Resign”
According to Ben Youssef, the entire narrative surrounding a locker-room coup is entirely fabricated.
“The decision came from coach Nabi to resign. The only three people who know the reality of what went on are Mr. Kaizer Jr, Coach Nabi, and Cedric. They were together in every single meeting.
“He came back [after his wife’s accident], and after one month… a decision came from him to resign. He told them he wanted to leave the team. So, there’s your answer. How can he choose to resign, and then people accuse Khalil and Cedric of doing this or that?”
Ben Youssef also pointed to his fierce loyalty and long-standing professional track record with Nabi across multiple heavyweights on the continent as ultimate proof of his innocence.
“I was with him for three seasons at Young Africans, ASFAR Rabat, and at Chiefs—so if I was as bad as people say, why would he bring me along all the time? There are people at the Village who can confirm exactly what happened,” Ben Youssef concluded.
