Published on 6/22/2026
Great disappointment hung over the atmosphere of the Tunisian national team following the harsh defeat it suffered against Japan with a score of 4-0, at dawn on Sunday, in the 2026 World Cup, a result that confirmed the exit of the “Eagles of Carthage” from the tournament after their first loss to Sweden with a score of 5-1.
After the match, the left-back of the Tunisian national team, Ali Al-Abdi (32 years old), did not hide his dissatisfaction with the situation in which the national team was experiencing, expressing his anger and sadness after the early exclusion from the World Cup.
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Al-Abdi said in his statements to reporters: “I apologize to the fans. What is happening to us is incomprehensible,” referring to the disappointing results that accompanied the Tunisian team’s participation in the tournament.
The Tunisian defender also apologized to French coach Hervé Renard, who took over the leadership of the national team in exceptional circumstances, succeeding Sabri Lamouchi, considering that time was not enough to bring about the desired change.
Al-Abidi did not stop at the apology, but directed direct criticism at the Tunisian Football Federation, saying: “I apologize to the Tunisian fans, not to the people who enjoy spreading information here and there. This is not in the country’s interest. We do not have time to work. We break everything to rebuild it every time instead of correcting the defects.”
The player also criticized the choices of former coach Sabri Lamouchi, pointing out that the team was not on the right path from the beginning, and added: “We are coming to play the World Cup with players who have never played together before. Building a competitive team requires time and stability.”
On the other hand, the Tunisian left-back alluded to the way in which the former coaching staff, Sami Trabelsi, was dismissed after withdrawing from the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations organized by Morocco. He said: “Trabelsi was beaten instead of correcting the mistakes and building after the African Cup. Look at the Japanese team that we faced. It relied on the same team that I personally faced in 2022. As for us, we change the entire team instead of building and reforming.”
The Tunisian national team’s roster participating in the World Cup sparked widespread controversy due to the exclusion of a number of experienced players, while it included new names who did not have the opportunity to play together for a sufficient period before entering the tournament.
Despite the confirmation of Tunisia’s exit from the competition, Hannibal Mejbri’s teammates are still required to play a final confrontation against the Netherlands, on Thursday evening, in an attempt to better end their participation in the World Cup and regain some of the fans’ confidence.
