Former Tunisia head coach Sami Trabelsi accuses a senior official at the Tunisian Football Federation of having influenced selection, tactics and even the organisation of prayers, going so far as to oppose the selection of Naïm Sliti. He links this interference to the failure at AFCON 2025.
Speaking on Tunisian radio Mosaique FM on Saturday, the former head coach discussed the conditions in which he ran the national team, according to remarks reported by africasoccer.com. He claims that a senior official at the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) wielded influence over player selection, tactical decisions and even the organisation of prayers in the Eagles of Carthage camp.
According to him, this official even decided which players stood in the front rows during prayers. These repeated interventions, Trabelsi says, contributed to Tunisia’s failure at AFCON 2025 in Morocco and increased the pressure on the coaching staff.
An official who “decided everything”
The official also reportedly tried to impose certain players. According to Trabelsi, this director opposed the selection of Naïm Sliti and wanted the former head coach to call up a player from the Tunisian league. He summed up the situation on Mosaique FM: “There was someone who opposed the selection of Naïm Sliti and who wanted me to call up a player from the Tunisian league. All of this was done by an official of the Tunisian Football Federation. He was the one who decided everything.”
The coach describes an atmosphere that grew increasingly tense after the group-stage exit at the Arab Cup in Qatar in November 2025. So much so, he says, that he considered resigning and returning to Tunisia before AFCON.
Mea culpa and apologies to the fans
Sami Trabelsi nevertheless acknowledges his share of responsibility for the results. He apologised to Tunisian supporters, a mea culpa that sits alongside accusations aimed directly at the federation. The FTF has not publicly responded to these accusations.
The federation dismissed Trabelsi after AFCON 2025. Sabri Lamouchi, also a former head coach, succeeded him but left his post after a single competitive match at the 2026 World Cup. Moez Ben Cherifia, the current head coach, now leads the Eagles of Carthage, who have played two matches under him.