Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterThe World Cup has thrown up its first managerial casualty already, with one coach losing his job after an embarrassing start to the competition.It was a high-scoring day four at the World Cup, with Germany putting seven past Curacao and the Netherlands and Japan playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw, before Sweden put Tunisia to the sword in the later kick-off.Graham Potter's side delivered a 5-1 hammering at Estadio Monterrey, with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres among the goals.Sabri Lamouchi to be sacked by Tunisia after Sweden hammeringIt seems that defeat was just too much for Tunisia's FA to look past, with the decision made to sack manager Sabri Lamouchi hours later.According to a report from talkSPORT based on information from journalist Romain Molina, an official announcement is imminent. Wahbi Khazri is set to step up as interim coach for the remainder of the tournament. You may like World Cup day four highlights: Underestimate Germany at your peril, dark horse emerges, late drama and Graham Potter's redemption story Which former Premier League managers will be at World Cup 2026? 'Horrific: I couldn't believe what I saw' ex-Man United coach gives damning verdict of his country Lamouchi was only hired in January of this year, but has struggled to get his team going. Indeed, Tunisia lost both of their pre-World Cup 2026 friendlies, including a 5-0 demolition at the hands of Belgium.The African nation has won just one game all year, a 1-0 victory against Haiti back in March.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Speaking after the defeat to Sweden, Lamouchi said: "Its a tough defeat, its painful to start the competition with such a heavy loss. We made far too many mistakes and, with world-class players like the two Swedish forwards, thats unforgivable."It is believed Mondher Kebaier is the frontrunner to be the long-term successor to Lamouchi, once the World Cup is over.Ironically, this is not the first time a Tunisia manager has been sacked mid-tournament. Henryk Kasperczak was fired after losing his first two games at the 1998 World Cup.In the same tournament, South Korea head coach Cha Bum-kun was dismissed after heavy defeats to Mexico and Netherlands in the group stages.More recently, at AFCON 2024, Ivory Coast sacked Jean-Louis Gasset when it looked like he had failed to get them out of the group stages.Incredibly, later results elsewhere meant Ivory Coast did actually qualify for the knockout stages, but Gasset was already gone by that point.TOPICSSabri LamouchiWorld CupWorld Cup 2026Jakob BarnesFreelance WriterJakob has over 11 years of experience in journalism across sports, entertainment, tech, and politics. Now a freelance news writer for FourFourTwo, he covers the biggest stories from the world of football.
