The Tunisian Football Federation fired manager Sabri Lamouchi on Monday after its men’s team was dismantled 5-1 by Sweden in their FIFA World Cup opener on Sunday, according to multiple reports. It was a short-lived reign for Lamouchi, 54, as the coach spent just five games leading Tunisia in international play. His Eagles of Carthage defeated Haiti 1-0 in his first game at the helm in an international friendly, but would score just one goal in the following four games - one of which was a 0-0 draw against Canada in a friendly on March 31. Lamouchi is a former midfielder who was born in France but has dual French and Tunisian citizenship. As a midfielder in his playing career, Lamouchi made 12 caps for the French national team. His managerial career has featured stops in Ligue 1 with Rennes, the Premier League with Nottingham Forest and a three-year stint with the Cote d’Ivoire national team, who he led in the 2014 World Cup. Tunisia faces an uphill battle to get back into contention in Group F after Sunday’s disastrous opener - Japan and Netherlands played to a 2-2 draw earlier in the day, meaning all three sides have a points advantage entering the second set of matches. Tunisia, who are ranked No. 56 in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking and have yet to confirm the firing or name a potential replacement, will play their next match against No. 18 Japan on Sunday, June 21, then finish their round robin against No. 8 Netherlands on June 25.
