World Cup head coach sacked after one game: what happened and who takes over for the rest of Tunisia’s tournament?

One of the wildest stories of the opening days of this World Cup appears to have reached its conclusion. Tunisia, who fired head coach Sabri Lamouchi after a crushing defeat to Sweden in its tournament opener, has appointed Hervé Renard as his immediate replacement. The Frenchman will take charge of the North African side as it attempts to salvage its campaign and secure qualification from its two remaining group-stage games.

Renard experienced a somewhat similar situation after being dismissed by Saudi Arabia less than two months before the start of this World Cup. In a surprising twist, however, the veteran coach will still take part in the tournament after traveling to Mexico overnight Monday. He is set to oversee training sessions starting Tuesday and immediately assume responsibility for Tunisia’s World Cup preparations.

Tunisia faces a daunting challenge if it hopes to advance to the round of 32. The team needs favorable results against the Netherlands and Japan to maintain any realistic chance of progressing. Both opponents are widely viewed as stronger sides and have plenty at stake themselves after drawing their opening game against one another.

An abrupt World Cup departure

Renard’s arrival has also brought internal tensions into the spotlight. According to reports in the Tunisian media, the federation viewed the 5-1 loss to Sweden as a humiliation and decided to dismiss Lamouchi despite the World Cup already being underway. It was a remarkably rare move, having occurred only three times previously in tournament history and not for the past 28 years.

Local reports also suggest that Tunisia’s urgency significantly increased the financial package required to secure Renard’s services. In addition, it has emerged that the newly appointed coach was surprised by the inclusion of certain players in the squad and by the limited opportunities given to others under the previous regime.

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