Afcon 2021: Tunisia sack coach Mondher Kebaier after quarter-final exit

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The 51-year-old, who took charge of the Eagles of Carthage on August 2019, has been replaced by his deputy Jalel Kadri.

Tunisia have confirmed the sacking of coach Mondher Kebaier after the team failed to get past the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The Eagles of Carthage’s journey in the 33rd edition was ended in the last eight after losing 1-0 against 10-man Burkina Faso at Omnisports Roumde Stadium in Garoua on Saturday.

Tunisia have revealed in a statement they have parted ways with Kebaier, and his position will be taken by his assistant Jalal Al-Qadri.

“It was decided to end the contractual relationship with Mondher Kebaier and to appoint Jalal Al-Qadri as his successor,” Tunisia said in a statement on their social media pages.

“We thank Mondher Kebaier for the efforts he made during the period he spent at the helm of the national team, wishing him success in the rest of his coaching career. We also wish Jalal Al-Qadri success in his new duties.”

The 51-year-old took charge of the Eagles of Carthage in August 2019, when he signed a three-year contract.

The former Esperance youth coach came in to replace Frenchman Alain Giresse, who had left the African nation by mutual consent despite guiding the team to a fourth-place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Prior to his appointment to handle the national team, Kebaier had coached Tunisian giants Esperance for a month in 2018 and he also had spells at Etoile du Sahel, CA Bizertin, and Club Africain in Tunisia.

Kebaier helped Tunisia to reach the Arab Cup final in Doha, Qatar in December 2021, before losing 2-0 after extra time against Algeria.

At the Afcon in Cameroon, Tunisia, who were pooled in Group F, started their campaign with a controversial 1-0 defeat against Mali, recovered to hammer Mauritania 4-0 before losing to Gambia 1-0.

Despite losing two matches in the group stage, they qualified for the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams, and they went on to eliminate favourites Nigeria after snatching a 1-0 result.

However, their journey was ended in the quarter-final stage as they failed to get past the Stallions after Dango Aboubacar Ouattara’s goal on the stroke of half-time sent them packing.

New coach Al-Qadri will be in charge of the team when they face Mali in the third round of the World Cup qualifiers on March 23.


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