Tunis [Tunisia], June 16 : Tunisia have reportedly sacked their manager Sabri Lamouchi just one game into their FIFA World Cup campaign following a brutal 5-1 loss to Sweden in their campaign opener.
The North African side was left absolutely exposed in terms of their defence during their campaign opener against Sweden on Sunday, making it one of Tunisia's worst results at the international level. A brace from Yasin Ayari and strikes from Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Mattias Svanberg piled up misery on Tunisia, who could manage just one strike by Omar Rekik in the 43rd minute.
According to French journalist Romain Molina, quoted by Goal.com, the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) acted swiftly and terminated Lamouchi's deal after the match ended. While the on-field results did play a role, it is also reported that a significant level of dressing room tensions also played a role in the coach's dismissal. He is the first manager to be dismissed during the ongoing World Cup.
Lamouchi's stint with Tunisia ends with just five matches in the dugout across all the competition. Looking ahead, Tunisia, which is appearing in their sixth World Cup, could witness their former manager Mondher Kebaier, taking over the reins on an interim basis.
Also, former Sunderland and Tunisia star Wahbi Khazri is also among the frontrunners to take the all-important post.
However, whoever the manager be, it would be important for Tunisia to sort things out really quickly, with quality opposition like Japan (June 21 at Guadalupe, Mexico) and the Netherlands (June 26 at Kansas City, US) awaiting them. In their previous five WC appearances, Tunisia has never managed to make it past the group stage.