Tunisian Defender Ali Abdi Blames Football Federation for World Cup Failure
Tunisian defender Ali Abdi, 32, who plays for Nice, has publicly criticized the country’s football federation for the team’s disappointing performance at the World Cup, from which Tunisia has already been eliminated after losing 1-5 to Sweden and 0-4 to Japan in Group F.
The first defeat proved to be fatal for coach Sabri Lamouchi, who was dismissed following the match. Herve Renard took over but did not bring about any significant improvements.
Ali Abdi: “We Keep Starting Over”
“We arrived at the World Cup with players who had never played together before. Essentially, we had no proper preparation, with only a few friendly matches to get us ready. We are up against teams that have been developing their styles for years,” Abdi explained.
“We didn’t even have time for serious training. Each time, we erase everything we have built and start over instead of simply correcting our mistakes.”
However, he emphasized that the failure is not entirely the players’ fault, attributing it to the federation’s policies, which impose their vision and place individuals in various team roles. “Here are the results, but I don’t know if anything will change,” he added, according to reports.
Tunisia’s final World Cup match will be a mere formality as the national team, led by Herve Renard, will face the Netherlands on June 26 at 02:00. The Dutch team currently leads the group with 4 points, tied with Japan, while Sweden sits in third place with 3 points.
The 2026 World Cup will be held across three countries: the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 and marks the first time in history that 48 teams will compete. It will feature a total of 104 matches over 38 days, making it the longest World Cup ever.
