Tunisia have appointed Hervé Renard as their new head coach for the remainder of the World Cup in North America, hoping to revive their campaign after a disastrous start. The 57-year-old Frenchman replaces Lamouchi, who was sacked following Tunisia's 5-1 thrashing by Sweden in their Group F opener.
Renard's pedigree
Renard previously managed Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they famously defeated eventual champions Argentina 2-1. He also led Morocco at the 2018 World Cup and has coached the national teams of Ivory Coast, Zambia, and Angola.
Lamouchi's dismissal
Lamouchi became the fifth manager to be sacked by a World Cup nation mid-tournament, joining Julen Lopetegui, Cha Bum-kun, Carlos Alberto Parreira, and Henryk Kasperczak. Tunisia's heavy defeat to Sweden, with goals from Yasin Ayari, Alexander Isak, and Viktor Gyökeres, left them with a goal difference of -4, severely denting their chances of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams.
Omar Rekik scored Tunisia's only goal to reduce the deficit before halftime, but it was not enough to save Lamouchi's job. The 54-year-old Frenchman paid the price for the team's poor performance.
Historical context
This is not the first time Tunisia have sacked a manager during a World Cup. In 1998, Henryk Kasperczak was dismissed after defeats to England and Colombia left the Eagles of Carthage eliminated with a game to spare. Caretaker Ali Selmi oversaw a 1-1 draw against Romania. Tunisia have now sacked two managers at World Cup finals, the most of any nation since the tournament began in 1930.
Technical director Mondher Kebaier was initially expected to take over as caretaker, but the task of making Tunisia competitive in Group F has now been handed to Renard. Tunisia's next match is against Japan on June 21 at the Monterrey Stadium.
