Chippa United Captain Nwabali Optimistic Despite Club’s Struggles

Chippa United captain Stanley Nwabali remains hopeful that his team can reverse their fortunes in the 2025/26 South African league, even as they linger at the bottom of the table.

The Chilli Boys sit last with seven points from 12 matches, recording one win, four draws, and seven losses. Their poor run has led to three managerial changes this season. Sinethemba Badela resigned early due to disagreements with sporting director Sinesipho Mali, while Musa Nyatama’s short tenure ended in dismissal before Luc Eymael’s appointment in August, which also failed to improve results.

Currently under Vusumuzi Vilakazi, Nwabali is confident about the team’s prospects. “I’m the captain, and what we’re experiencing is part of football; it’s not new. Sometimes a season starts badly, sometimes well. This campaign hasn’t been great, but I’m giving the fans hope we will improve,” he told Sowetan.

Chippa United face two challenging fixtures against Soweto giants Orlando Pirates on November 25 and Kaizer Chiefs on December 3, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations break.

Nwabali, 29, has featured 11 times for Chippa this season, keeping just one clean sheet with a 56.8% save rate. After missing out on a 2026 World Cup spot with the Super Eagles, the goalkeeper aims to make an impact at the AFCON in Morocco (Dec 21, 2025 – Jan 18, 2026), having been a key figure in Nigeria’s second-place finish at the last tournament in the Ivory Coast.