TUNIS: Tunisia’s humiliating exit from the 2026 World Cup after two heavy losses against Sweden and Japan delt a blow to Eagles of Carthage fans, who say it laid bare years of dysfunction within the football federation.
The team, which had made history in 1978 by becoming the first African nation to win a World Cup match, had hoped for a better tournament this summer.
But with nine goals conceded in two games and French head coach Sabri Lamouchi sacked after the first — a 5-1 defeat to Sweden — many Tunisians were faced with a different reality.
Beyond player performances, they blame a deeply flawed national sporting system.
“The collapse of the national team against Sweden and Japan has lifted the veil on the ‘football mafia’ whose dismantling everyone is demanding today, before starting from scratch and rebuilding our football,” the Arabic-language daily AlChourouk wrote.
