After losing their tournament opener 5-1 to Sweden, Tunisia fell 4-0 to Japan in Hervé Renard's first game in charge. The Frenchman replaced Sabri Lamouchi, who was fired by the Tunisian FA (FTF) following their disastrous opener.
Talking to BeIN Sports, Tunisia defender Ali Abdi was moved to tears, describing the current situation of the national team.
"I apologise to the Tunisian supporters, but not to the people who amuse themselves by leaking information left and right," Abdi said. "That's not in the country's interest."
The dismissal of Lamouchi was surrounded by questions about the FTF's handling of the national team, with Lamouchi reportedly forced by FTF officials to start certain players and alter his starting XI twice before the Sweden game.
Abdi, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, went on to address the flaws in Tunisian football.
"We didn’t have time to work as a team; instead of fixing the flaws, we tore everything down and rebuilt every time. We're coming to play at a World Cup with players who have never played together. If you look at the Japanese players, it's the same team from 2022; meanwhile, we chang the team every tournament. You can't build like that," Abdi said as he broke down in tears.
Tunisia, who were eliminated following Saturday's defeat, face the Netherlands on Thursday, June 25th, in their final World Cup game.
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup is taking place from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament features 48 national teams and is played at 16 modern stadiums.
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