World Cup: Tunisia fires coach Sabri Lamouchi after Sweden’s bankruptcy

Clap against Sweden

World Cup hit: Tunisia fires its coach after just one game

There was a change of coach shortly after the start of the World Cup. Tunisia’s coach lost his job after the first game.

World Cup participant Tunisia fired its coach Sabri Lamouchi during the World Cup. The Tunisian association officially announced this. “It has been officially agreed to part ways with coach Sabri Lamouchi,” the statement said. “Plans are underway to hire Mondher Kbaier as interim national coach.”

The association’s leadership responded to the North Africans’ 5-1 defeat in their first tournament game against Sweden.

The 56-year-old Kbaier coached the Tunisian national team from 2019 to 2022 and then worked for the club teams Raja Casablanca in Morocco and Club Africain in Tunis. As technical director of the association, Kbaier had already traveled with the team to this World Cup.

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At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Tunisians defeated eventual finalists France in the preliminary round. Four years later, however, the start against Sweden turned into a debacle for the team of the two Bundesliga professionals Rani Khedira (1. FC Union) and Ellyes Skhiri (Eintracht Frankfurt).

In Monterrey, Mexico, Yasin Ayari (7th/90th + 6th), Alexander Isak (30th), Viktor Gyökeres (59th) and Mattias Svanberg scored twice for the Scandinavians. Omar Rekik scored for Tunisia (43′).

“This is a painful defeat. It hurts. Starting the competition with such a bitter defeat is difficult,” Lamouchi said afterwards. The 54-year-old Frenchman had no idea that he was giving what was probably his last press conference as Tunisia’s coach.