Tunisia sack coach after World Cup thrashing by Sweden, hire Renard
· Yahoo Sports
Tunisia have parted ways with coach Sabri Lamouchi after a 5-1 thrashing by Sweden in their opening match at the World Cup.
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"The Tunisian Football Federation announces the termination of its contractual relationship with Head Coach Sabri Lamouchi by mutual agreement," a statement on the association's Instagram page said on Tuesday, confirming earlier reports.
Frenchman Hervé Renard has been appointed as head coach for the remainder of the tournament, the federation said.
Lamouchi has already left the team's headquarters in Mexico. His successor is expected to arrive at the training camp shortly to take charge of preparations for Tunisia's second match against Japan on Saturday, with a tough fixture against the Netherlands to come on June 25.
Renard has managed several African national sides, winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia and Ivory Coast.
He led Morocco at the 2018 World Cup before taking the helm of Saudi Arabia, leading the country to a famous victory over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup.
The 57-year-old briefly took charge of France women's side at the World Cup in 2023 before returning to Saudi Arabia, helping them to qualify for this year's tournament before being dismissed in April.
He faces a daunting task to help Tunisia reach the knockout stages after the crushing defeat to Sweden and a poor run of form stretching back to the disappointing loss to Mali in the round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
After his appointment as Tunisia’s national coach in January, the 54-year-old Lamouchi oversaw just one victory in five games, a 1-0 win over minnows Haiti.
Lamouchi is not the only Tunisia coach to have been sacked during a major tournament: Polish national Henryk Kasperczak was dismissed after overseeing two defeats in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup in France.