Tunisia have dismissed head coach Sabri Lamouchi after a poor start to their World Cup campaign and have agreed to appoint fellow French coach Hervé Renard as his replacement, according to reports from Tunis Afrique Presse.
The decision comes after Tunisia suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their opening Group F match in Monterrey on Sunday.
Lamouchi becomes the first coach to lose his job at the tournament. The 54-year-old was appointed in January on a contract that was due to run until 2028, but his time in charge lasted only six months.
Tunisia confirmed his departure on Monday night with group-stage matches against Japan and the Netherlands still to come.
Renard is expected to take charge of the team for the rest of the tournament. Reports say the 57-year-old will arrive in Mexico, where Tunisia are based, on Tuesday and lead his first training session later that day in Monterrey.
This will be Renard’s third World Cup with a third different country. He previously managed Morocco at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Renard guided Saudi Arabia to one of the biggest surprises in World Cup history when they defeated eventual champions Argentina in their opening group match. However, they failed to reach the knockout stage after losing their next two games.
The Frenchman is also a two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner. He led Zambia to the title in 2012 and Ivory Coast to victory in 2015.
Reports suggest Tunisia’s decision was influenced not only by the defeat to Sweden but also by problems within the dressing room and tensions between Lamouchi, some players, and officials of the Tunisian Football Federation.
The coaching change is believed to be the earliest managerial dismissal in World Cup history, with Lamouchi leaving after only one match.
Former Tunisia midfielder Wahbi Khazri, who worked as Lamouchi’s assistant, will remain on the coaching staff under Renard.
Tunisia are currently bottom of Group F and now face a must-win match against Japan as they try to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
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