The Tunisia Football Association on Tuesday appointed former Saudi Arabia head coach Herve Renard as their manager, hours after sacking Sabri Lamouchi from the position following a disastrous 1-5 loss to Sweden.
Lamouchi was part of the Tunisian side during the buildup to the FIFA World Cup as well, and their campaign in the friendlies wasn’t any better and the results led to unrest in the dressing room.
As per a report by ESPN, Renard, 57, is all set to arrive in Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, where the Tunisian team is based, before overseeing his first training session later that evening in Monterrey.
Tunisia confirmed Lamouchi’s departure late on Monday, paving the way for Renard’s appointment. The 57-year-old will now take charge of his third
FIFA World Cup with a third different country, having led Morocco at the 2018 tournament, where they exited in the group stage with one draw and two losses and Saudi Arabia in 2022, when they stunned Argentina and Lionel Messi in their opening game but couldn’t reach the knockouts after losing their next two matches.
Renard coached France at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as well, guiding them to the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by Australia. His appointment by Tunisia is historic for another reason, as it follows what is believed to be the first instance in men’s FIFA World Cup history of a team dismissing its head coach after just one game at the tournament.
Lamouchi, 54, paid the price not only for Tunisia’s humiliating 5-1 loss to Sweden on June 15, but also for the growing friction that had developed between him, according to reports, the federation and multiple players since his appointment.
Wahbi Khazri, the former Ligue 1 midfielder and Tunisia international who served as Lamouchi’s assistant, will remain part of the coaching setup under Renard.
