Tunisia has become the first team to make a management change. FIFA World Cup After sacking head coach Sabri Lamouchi following the team’s 5-1 loss to Sweden in their opening match.Tunisia’s football federation confirmed on Tuesday that veteran French coach Hervé Renard will take over as the North African side look to salvage their campaign and keep alive hopes of reaching the knockout stages for the first time.Lamuchi’s exclusion makes him the first managerial casualty of the ongoing tournament. The 54-year-old had been in charge since January and oversaw just five matches before being shown the door.
Sweden’s heavy defeat proved costly.
Tunisia suffered one of the darkest consequences in its recent history when riots erupted in Sweden on Sunday.Yassin Ayari struck twice, while Alexandre Issac, Victor Geukris and Matias Swanberg also got on the scoresheet as the Scandinavians exposed a weak Tunisian defence. Omar Rick’s strike before half-time proved to be little more than a consolation.Dressing room tensions also played a role in Lamouchi’s sacking, with the Tunisian federation acting swiftly after the embarrassing defeat, according to reports.The former France international previously coached Ivory Coast at the 2014 World Cup, but his second appearance at football’s showpiece ended almost as soon as it began.Tunisia must now win against Japan and the Netherlands if they are to get out of the second group stage.
File photo: Hero Renard (AP Photo)
Renard returns to the FIFA World Cup spotlight
In an attempt to revive their campaign, Tunisia have turned to one of the most experienced managers in international football.Reynard boasts an impressive resume, leading both Zambia and Ivory Coast to Africa Cup of Nations titles. He also led Morocco to the 2018 World Cup and masterminded Saudi Arabia’s famous victory over eventual champions Argentina in the 2022 tournament.The Frenchman recently had a second spell with Saudi Arabia and also managed the France women’s national team.This is not the first time that Tunisia have changed managers during the World Cup. In 1998, Henrik Kasperzak was sacked after defeats to England and Colombia ended the country’s promotion hopes.Tunisia is appearing in its seventh World Cup but is one of the few regular participants to advance beyond the group stage.With Japan and the Netherlands, Renard faces an immediate challenge as he tries to prevent Tunisia’s latest World Cup campaign from unraveling completely.
