Five goals conceded in a World Cup opener will do it every time. Tunisia have sacked Sabri Lamouchi following Sunday's 5-1 demolition by Sweden in Monterrey, replacing him with Hervé Renard — a man who knows African football and high-pressure tournaments better than almost anyone.
Lamouchi goes down as the first managerial casualty of the tournament. He was only appointed in January on a contract running until 2028, but that deal became irrelevant the moment Sweden finished dismantling Tunisia's defense. The numbers leading into the World Cup were already uncomfortable — a 5-0 warm-up loss to Belgium and a 1-0 defeat to Austria — but the Sweden result made those look like warning signs nobody acted on fast enough.
Renard arrives with a point to prove
The Tunisian Football Federation confirmed Tuesday that Renard will take charge for the remainder of the World Cup campaign, with negotiations for a longer-term deal set to open after the tournament. He was expected in Monterrey the same day to meet the squad.
The appointment makes sense on paper. Renard has won the Africa Cup of Nations twice and coached Saudi Arabia to one of the most talked-about results in recent World Cup history — a group-stage win over eventual champions Argentina at Qatar 2022. He knows what it takes to organize a side quickly and extract something from a squad that's already rattled.
Whether that translates now is another question. Tunisia still face Japan on Saturday and the Netherlands on June 25. Two winnable matches in theory — though Tunisia's defensive odds look considerably shakier after what Sweden exposed — and two games Renard has almost no preparation time for.
- Tunisia's record under Lamouchi: 1 win, 2 losses, 2 heavy defeats (5-0 to Belgium, 5-1 to Sweden)
- Renard previously coached Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup, then the French women's team at the 2023 World Cup and Paris Olympics
- He returned to Saudi Arabia, helped them qualify for this World Cup, then was replaced by Georgios Donis before the tournament
So Renard walks into this job after being let go by the team he just helped qualify. Tunisia get a bounced coach with a strong resume. Strange circumstances all around — but with six points still theoretically available, stranger things have happened.
