Tunisia didn't wait long. One game, a 5-1 hammering from Sweden, and Sabri Lamouchi was gone — sacked by the Tunisian federation before most pundits had even filed their match reports.
Lamouchi only took the job in January. He lost three of his five matches in charge, and now he won't get a sixth. Hervé Renard — the Frenchman who took Morocco and Saudi Arabia to World Cups — steps in to salvage what's left of Tunisia's campaign against Japan and the Netherlands. That's a steep ask. Anyone backing Tunisia to advance out of Group F just watched their case collapse in real time.
A rare move, but not a new one
Mid-tournament sackings are genuinely rare at World Cups. This is only the fourth time it's happened — and somehow, the other three all came in the same tournament: France 1998.
Carlos Alberto Parreira, fresh off winning the 1994 World Cup with Brazil, was dismissed by Saudi Arabia after back-to-back losses to Denmark and the hosts. South Korea axed legendary former player Cha Bum-kun following a 3-1 loss to Mexico and a 5-0 thrashing by the Netherlands. And yes, Tunisia did exactly this in 1998 too, parting ways with Polish coach Henryk Kasperczak after defeats to England and Colombia.
In all three cases, the teams were already eliminated with one group game left to play. The replacements — caretakers, essentially — all managed draws. None of it changed anything in the standings.
- Saudi Arabia 1998: Parreira out after 4-0 vs France; Mohammed Al-Kharashy got a 2-2 draw vs South Africa
- South Korea 1998: Cha Bum-kun out; Kim Pyung-seok drew 1-1 with Belgium
- Tunisia 1998: Kasperczak out; Ali Selmi drew 1-1 with Romania
The pattern is clear: these late changes are about accountability, not tactics. No caretaker has ever turned a World Cup group stage around in one game.
The one man who walked out
There is one entry in the record books that stands apart. Scotland's Andy Beattie resigned at the 1954 World Cup — the only manager ever to quit mid-tournament. His grievance was legitimate: the Scottish FA had only allowed him to name 13 players in his squad. A 1-0 defeat to Austria ended his patience. He left. A selection committee took over. Uruguay beat Scotland 7-0 in the final group game.
Renard now inherits a Tunisia side that has conceded five in their opener and faces two opponents who will be sharp and motivated. The odds have shifted, and not gently.
