Tunisia has appointed Hervé Renard after a crushing 5-1 defeat to Sweden, but the coaching change is only part of a much deeper crisis inside the national team. The article says Tunisia fired Sabri Lamouchi after that loss, then lost 4-0 in Renard’s debut, was eliminated from the World Cup, and now wants to avoid another humiliation against the Netherlands. Coaching changes during a World Cup are unusual but not unheard of, and Tunisia has now changed coaches seven times since the start of 2024.
The bigger problem, according to the report, is long-running turmoil inside the football federation. Former federation president Wadie Jary, who dominated the national team setup from 2012 to 2023, was arrested in October 2023 on accusations including match-fixing in the domestic league, fraud, embezzlement and money laundering. In 2025 he was sentenced to four years in prison, while insisting the case was false and politically motivated. Current federation president Moez Nasri has said he does not make any decisions alone, while his deputies face internal resistance and accusations of using resources, including tickets and VIP treatment, for personal power struggles.
Those fights affected both the coaching staff and the squad selection. Three different coaches led Tunisia during qualifying, and the final one, Lamouchi, left several senior players out of the squad. Tunisia arrived at the tournament with four goalkeepers and 22 outfield players, an unusual balance, while some experienced players were excluded after what the article describes as pressure from deputy president Jannah and direct orders from the federation. Some selections were reportedly made to calm clubs and secure significant FIFA money, and some people have called that bribery.
Tunisia’s squad also reflected the confusion on the field. The article notes that inexperienced goalkeeper Mouhib Chammah made major errors on Sweden’s first two goals, while defenders with more than 90 international caps were left out. A 5-0 friendly loss to Belgium before the tournament already drew harsh criticism from Lamouchi, who called the performance disgraceful. Renard, who previously coached Saudi Arabia and has extensive experience with national teams, especially in the Arab world, was told he would remain after the World Cup and received a significant bonus plus his own staff. Tunisia hopes he can bring stability to a young side, but the article says the answer to whether the internal problems will finally ease may only come at the next World Cup.
