Sabri Lamouchi Leads Tunisia With Tunisie Foot Focus on 2028
Sabri Lamouchi took over Tunisia in January, and tunisie foot now centers on how he handles the job’s emotional weight. He says coaching the country of his origin is "Une affaire de coeur, c'est dangereux !" while insisting he must "rester professionnel pour apporter une vraie plus-value".
Lamouchi and Tunisia’s January shift
The contract runs until 2028, giving Tunisia a longer runway after a run that ended in the round of 16 of the CAN. Mali eliminated Tunisia after a 1-1 draw and a 3-2 penalty shootout loss, and Lamouchi said he took the job after that disappointing tournament.
He described himself as the sixth Tunisia coach in two and a half years. That number sits alongside the pressure of a national team that has not found stability, and his opening months are already tied to expectations that are higher than the recent results.
Wahbi Khazri joins the staff
Lamouchi brought Wahbi Khazri, 35, into his staff. He said Khazri "a un rôle très important à jouer" and "fait gagner beaucoup de temps," a move that gives him a familiar football voice around the squad and shortens the time needed to bridge the gap between the staff and the players.
He also framed the appointment as one that goes beyond routine coaching. Lamouchi said Roger Lemerre, who led Tunisia to its only Africa Cup of Nations title in 2004 at home, had often encouraged him to take the role.
Lamouchi’s World Cup link
The Tunisia job also lands during his second World Cup as a coach, after 2014 with Ivory Coast in Brazil. He said he is living that experience while carrying a personal history with Tunisia that began on 5 November 1993, when he was called up for a friendly against Gabon while playing for Alès in D2.
Lamouchi did not come on against Gabon, then moved to Auxerre in 1994. He later won his first France cap on 24 January 1996 against Portugal, finished with 12 caps and 1 goal for France from 1996 to 2001, and said he never regretted choosing France. Tunisia’s next step now rests with how quickly he turns those past threads into results over the life of a contract that stretches to 2028.
