Sabri Lamouchi is expecting to be sacked as Tunisia boss, sources told ESPN.
Tunisia were beaten 5-1 by Sweden in their World Cup opener and next play Japan and the Netherlands.
Lamouchi anticipates the Tunisian FA to part ways with him, just one match into their campaign following the one-sided rout by Sweden and further discontent within the camp.
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“We have a problem with the coach,” was all that the Tunisian FA could share with ESPN on Monday, when asked for comment, with no official statement given about the fate of the former France international.
Lamouchi, who was only appointed in January, was already under scrutiny heading into the tournament following a 5-0 defeat by Belgium in a pre-tournament friendly, with members of the federal bureau calling for an emergency meeting on Monday to determine the head coach’s fate.
The Carthage Eagles’ preparations were further disrupted by the presence of the head coach’s son within the training camp, despite him not being an official member of the delegation, with Lamouchi forced to explain the presence of his family with the team on several occasions.
Their defeat by Sweden was mottled by individual errors, with Tunisia finding themselves 1-0 down inside seven minutes when Yasin Ayari — himself of Tunisian descent — capitalised on an error by goalkeeper Mouhib Chamakh.
Alexander Isak added a second on the half-hour mark, and while Omar Rekik pulled one back for the North Africans just before half-time, Sweden restored their two-goal advantage in the 59th minute through Viktor Gyökeres following an error from Ellyes Skhiri. Further goals from Mattias Svanberg and Ayari followed during the final 10 minutes, with goalkeeper Chamakh again at fault during a dismal display.
The 72nd-minute substation of fullback Yan Valery prompted a visible show of frustration directed towards the manager from the Sheffield Wednesday defender, further demonstrating the fractures within the camp.
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Dismissal would complete a hat-trick of miserable World Cup memories for Lamouchi, who, as a player, was cut from France’s final squad ahead of the 1998 World Cup before, as a head coach, overseeing the Ivory Coast’s group stage elimination in Brazil 16 years later.
He opted to cut experienced pair Ferjani Sassi and Yassine Meriah from the squad ahead of the World Cup – despite their pair having over 200 caps between them – with Lamouchi determined to change the complexion of the squad after their disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year.
