Sabri Lamouchi’s tenure as Tunisia’s national team manager may be over almost as soon as it began. After a staggering 5-1 loss to Sweden in their World Cup opener, the former French international is bracing for dismissal, according to an ESPN report. An emergency board meeting scheduled for Monday could seal his fate.
The Carthage Eagles didn’t just lose—they collapsed. Defensive breakdowns, individual mistakes, and a chorus of internal dissent turned what should have been a competitive match into a rout. Goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh had a night to forget, conceding early goals to Yasin Ayari and Alexander Isak that put Tunisia in a hole they never climbed out of.
A Crisis That’s Been Brewing
That heavy defeat wasn’t the only reason Lamouchi is in trouble. The warning signs had been flashing for months. A 5-0 preseason friendly loss to Belgium raised eyebrows. Then came Lamouchi’s controversial roster decisions—he left veterans Ferjani Sassi and Yassine Meriah, who have more than 200 combined caps, off the World Cup squad.
Off the field, tensions boiled over when it emerged that Lamouchi had allowed his son to stay in the training camp despite not being an official team member. That move reportedly angered players and staff, further eroding trust in the manager’s leadership.
Match Day Meltdown
On the pitch, Sweden exploited Tunisia’s chaos. Viktor Gyökeres and Mattias Svanberg added second-half goals after Omar Rekik had briefly pulled one back for Tunisia. But the moment that captured the dysfunction came in the 72nd minute: defender Yan Valery was caught on camera visibly venting his frustration at Lamouchi while being substituted.
One federation official didn’t sugarcoat the situation, telling reporters: “We have a problem with the coach.” The team has not confirmed Lamouchi’s firing, but the writing appears to be on the wall.
A Painful Pattern
If Lamouchi is sacked after one match, it would add another chapter to a World Cup story full of heartbreak. He was famously left off France’s 1998 winning roster and saw his Ivory Coast team eliminated in the group stage in 2014. Now Tunisia could make him the first manager shown the door in Qatar before the tournament even heats up.
Leave a Comment