Tunisian turmoil: Hours after Sweden thrashing in World Cup, African team sack coach

Tunisia reportedly sacked head coach Sabri Lamouchi after a 5-1 World Cup opening defeat to Sweden. Lamouchi took charge of the team in January this year.

In Short

• Officials held an emergency meeting after the heavy opening defeat
• Reports said tensions spilled into altercations within camp and team hotel
• Lamouchi's January stint began with Haiti win before results sharply declined

Tunisia's crushing 5-1 defeat to Sweden in their World Cup opener has reportedly cost head coach Sabri Lamouchi his job, with local reports suggesting he has been fired from his role as head coach. According to Tunisian broadcaster Mosaique FM, senior officials within the delegation convened an emergency meeting following the heavy loss to assess the team's direction and Lamouchi's future. Reports have also emerged of tensions within the squad, including altercations among members of the camp after the match and later at the team hotel.

Reputed journalist Romain Molina tweeted on his X account that Lamouchi was sacked after the loss that sees Tunisia already on the ropes.

Lamouchi, who previously managed Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, was appointed in January after Sami Trabelsi stepped down in the aftermath of Tunisia's Africa Cup of Nations campaign. His tenure began positively with a win over Haiti, but results have since deteriorated.

Tunisia failed to register a victory in subsequent matches against Canada, Austria, Belgium and Sweden, while goals have been hard to come by. Concerns had already been growing after a 5-0 drubbing by Belgium in their final pre-World Cup friendly.

Former Sunderland midfielder Wahbi Khazri, currently serving as Lamouchi's assistant, has been mentioned as a possible interim successor should the federation decide to make a change.

Things unravelled quickly against Sweden, who seized control early through Yasin Ayari's opener inside the first ten minutes before going on to inflict Tunisia's heaviest defeat of the tournament so far.

Speaking after the game, Lamouchi called the loss painful and slammed his players for making too many mistakes during the match.

"It's a difficult loss. It's painful. Starting the competition with this bad of a loss is indeed difficult," Lamouchi told the post-match news conference.

With a crucial Group-stage encounter against Japan scheduled for June 20, Tunisia may now be forced into a swift decision as they attempt to salvage their World Cup campaign.

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