Journalist Romain Molina has revealed that Tunisian President Kais Saied played a major role in appointing Hervé Renard as the new head coach of the Tunisia national team for the 2026 World Cup.
Sabri Lamouchi was sacked from his position following Tunisia’s crushing 5-1 defeat against Sweden. Initially, local coach Mondher Kebaier was expected to take charge of the team on an interim basis.
However, during the final hours of Monday, the situation turned upside down, and the decision was made to bring in Renard. According to Molina, the Tunisian President himself was the driving force behind this high-profile move.
Molina reported that the Tunisian Presidency took full control of choosing the new manager and secured the necessary funding to finalize Renard’s contract, leaving the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) with virtually no say in the decision-making process.
FTF officials were restricted to merely negotiating the terms with Renard, who gave immediate approval to make his third consecutive World Cup appearance, despite the task ahead looking almost suicidal.
Renard is scheduled to arrive in Mexico on Tuesday to lead his first training session with Tunisia, hoping to make an immediate impact that saves the Carthage Eagles from what would be a highly disappointing early exit.
Tunisia will face Japan next week before taking on the Netherlands. They need at least one victory to stand a chance of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams and keeping their hopes alive of reaching the Round of 32.
