France sacks Tunisia coach mid-tournament as FIFA clears controversial VAR gesture
Story Timeline
13 days · 11 summary articles
France sacks Tunisia coach mid-tournament as FIFA dismisses VAR controversy
Tunisia’s football federation dismissed head coach Jalel Kadri on Tuesday, hours before the Carthage Eagles were scheduled to face France in their second Group D match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The decision, confirmed by multiple liveblogs monitored on 16 June 2026, marks the first in-tournament coaching change at a World Cup since the tournament expanded to 48 teams. Kadri, who led Tunisia to a creditable 1-1 draw with Japan on 11 June, was replaced by veteran tactician Mondher Kebaier, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung’s liveblog .
The federation did not issue an official statement, but the FAZ liveblog noted that “internal differences” had surfaced during the opening fixture. Kadri’s departure follows a pattern of mid-tournament upheaval in African football, most recently seen during the 2022 Nations Cup when several coaches were relieved of duties while the competition was still underway.
In a separate development, FIFA declined to take disciplinary action against a video assistant referee whose controversial hand gesture during Germany’s 2-0 victory over Australia on Sunday sparked accusations of political symbolism. The Parool reported that the Dutch outlet had monitored the incident and noted FIFA’s statement that the gesture was deemed “inadvertent” and did not warrant further review .
Meanwhile, France prepared to face Senegal in a high-stakes Group C opener on Tuesday evening, 24 years after Les Bleus suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to the Lions of Teranga in Daegu that precipitated their premature exit from the 2002 tournament. France24 recalled the upset that “set off dancing in the streets of Dakar” and left French football in disarray .
Across the Atlantic, Cape Verde stunned Spain 1-0 in a pre-tournament friendly, a result that Tagesspiegel described as “the most shocking of the early hours” of the competition. The Berlin newspaper highlighted the role of Roberto Lopes, a 34-year-old defender whose LinkedIn profile caught the attention of national selectors, and Sidny Lopes Cabral, whose transfer to an Erfurt amateur club generated unexpected revenue for the player’s family .
As the group stage gathered momentum, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, Iran and New Zealand also recorded their opening results, while a viral Mexican team mascot—dubbed “Ente Merlin”—became an overnight social-media sensation, according to Die Welt .
- 4
- 4
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
2 further sources not geolocated










