Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi believes that South African teams succeeding in continental competitions will elevate the standard of football in the country.
This comes after Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates booked their spots in the CAF Champions League semi-finals.
On the other hand, Stellenbosch FC made history by defeating defending champions Zamalek to carve their way to the semis of the CAF Confederations Cup in their first appearance in the competition.
Nabi congratulated the three teams on Thursday during the Nedbank Cup pre-match press conference and added that he is positive that this will improve the level of football in the country next season.
“I want to say congratulations to Sundowns, Pirates, and Stellenbosch. In the semi-final of the Champions League, we have two teams from South Africa. This will improve the level of football in South Africa. I think the level will also improve in the next season because the competition among teams is stronger than before,” Nabi said.
Pirates have had an impressive Champions League journey, reaching the last four without tasting defeat. They are the only team to achieve this feat in this year’s campaign.
Sundowns, on the other hand, experienced a slow start, which led to the departure of Manqoba Mngqithi, who was quickly replaced by Miguel Cardoso.
The Portuguese coach managed to turn things around and is currently enjoying a 12-point gap at the helm of the Betway Premiership standings. He managed to defeat his former side, Esperance de Tunis, to reach the semis.
Steve Barker has been commended for the development of Stellenbosch FC since gaining promotion. He won his first piece of silverware last season and finished third on the log. This season, he reached the final of the MTN8 competition.
Nabi feels that PSL teams doing well in continental competitions is of great benefit for the development of the country’s football.
“I want to say thank you to my colleagues, [Jose] Riveiro, [Miguel] Cardoso, and Steve [Barker]. They deserve to be in this situation, but I feel a little sad because Sundowns beat my Tunisian team Esperance, but honestly, they deserve to be in the semi-final. We have to continue like that for the benefit of South African football,” he continued.
Amakhosi are gearing up for their must-win Nedbank Cup semi-final match against Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday, April 13, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium with kick-off scheduled for 18:00.
“For this game, I am not only thinking about myself, it’s a big opportunity for the club and for me to write new history by qualifying for the final and winning this tournament. It’s been a long time since we last won a trophy, and it’s a big opportunity for us to create new history for the team,” Nabi concluded.