Fernando Da Cruz, the incoming assistant coach for Kaizer Chiefs, touched down in Johannesburg on Sunday morning at 10:45. His arrival marks the first of six new members joining Chiefs’ restructured technical team, which will be headed by Nasreddine Nabi.
Da Cruz, formerly of Lille, traveled from Casablanca, Morocco, with a Qatar Airways flight via Doha. At OR Tambo International Airport, he was greeted warmly by Kaizer Chiefs sporting director, Kaizer Motaung Jr., who was seen in a navy blue suit.
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Later that day, Ilyes Mzoughi, a goalkeeper coach from Mauritania, was scheduled to arrive in Johannesburg. He is set to join Nabi’s team and arrived from Tunisia’s capital. Both Da Cruz and Mzoughi will start their duties on Monday at the Kaizer Chiefs Village in Naturena, where the team is gearing up for the 2024/25 PSL season.
The club is still waiting for their new head coach, Nasreddine Nabi, who is expected to play his last game with AS FAR Rabat in the Moroccan Throne Cup semi-final against MAS de Fès on Sunday night. The final’s date is yet to be confirmed, but indications are that Nabi will depart after the semi-final.
Da Cruz, Nabi’s assistant, brings a wealth of experience to Chiefs. Although he played amateur football, he captained the French national futsal team in 1998 at the age of 26. His coaching journey started at Lille, where he helped develop future stars like Idrissa Gueye and Lucas Digne. Before Lille, he had a stint as an assistant coach at Wasquehal Football in 2006.
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Da Cruz later moved to Belgium’s Royal Mouscron, serving as technical director and head coach. In 2017, after Marcelo Bielsa’s departure from Lille, Da Cruz briefly served as the head coach before Christophe Galtier took over. More recently, he was in Morocco with AS FAR Rabat, where he started as the academy director and was later promoted to head coach in 2022. His leadership helped AS FAR Rabat win the 2022/23 Botola Pro League title.
Nabi and Da Cruz formed a strong bond during their time in Morocco, and this relationship promises to be beneficial for Chiefs. Their shared experience and mutual respect have raised hopes that they can lead the club back to its former glory. Chiefs have not won a trophy in nine years, and the new technical team is eager to change that.
Sources close to the coaches revealed that Nabi specifically requested Da Cruz, citing their smooth working relationship and shared football philosophy. Nabi also believes Da Cruz will be an asset to both the youth and senior teams at Chiefs.
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