Tunisia fire coach Mondher Kebaier after AFCON exit
Tunisia fired coach Mondher Kebaier on Sunday, a day after the team was eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations and two months before the World Cup qualifiers in Qatar.
A statement from the Tunisian Football Federation said he would be replaced by Kebaier and his assistant Jalel Kadri, who took his place on the bench for Tunisia’s victory over Nigeria in the round of 16 with Kebaier in contention after being confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.
Tunisia lost two of their three group matches but still found themselves in the knockout stages of the tournament in Cameroon as one of the top four teams in third place.
They then angered Nigeria, despite the absence of Kebaier and many key players after a new corona virus outbreak in their side, and a 1-0 defeat by Burkina Faso in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Kadr, 50, has coached extensively at club level in Tunisia and the Middle East, but this is his first national team selection.
Tunisia will face Mali in two matches at the end of March, and the winner will advance to the World Cup final in November.
