The Tunisia national football team manager was first established in 1956 following the appointment of the country's first national team manager Rachid Turki.[1] Thirty-six men have occupied the post since its inception; three of those were in short-term caretaker manager roles: Faouzi Benzarti in two terms (one game in charge in 1994 and four games in 2010), Sami Trabelsi (six games in 2011 until he was appointed full-time) and Ruud Krol (two games).[2]
Roger Lemerre held the position for the longest to date with a tenure of six years leading the team in 67 matches, more than any other manager in Tunisia's history.[3] He is also the most successful manager after winning the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, reaching 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Yugoslav coach Milan Kristić became the first foreign manager of the team in 1960.[4] France has the largest number of managers to have coached Tunisia, with six managers.
Position edit
Role edit
The Tunisia manager's role means he has sole responsibility for all on-the-field elements of the Tunisian team. Among other activities, this includes selecting the national team squad, the starting team, captain, tactics, substitutes and penalty-takers.
The coach has a relative freedom to choose his staff as some of coaches refused to coach the Tunisian national team due to the Tunisian Football Federation’s refusal to appoint foreign assistant coaches. This was the case with Jacques Santini in 2008 and Raymond Domenech. However, the Tunisian Football Federation agreed to Henryk Kasperczak's proposal in 2015 to appoint Frenchman Patrick Hesse to the team.
Appointment edit
The process of appointing a new Tunisia manager is undertaken by a FTF committee, which is composed of board members and other high-ranking FTF officials. Every time this process is subject to controversy because the committee includes former coaches who did not succeed with the national team, such as Youssef Zouaoui and Mokhtar Tlili.
List edit
As of 24 January 2024 after match against 
South Africa.
| Manager | Nat | From | To | Pld | W | D | L | Win % | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachid Turki | 
|
1956 | 1957 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | — |
| Habib Draoua (DTN) Hechmi Cherif Larbi Soudani |
|
1957 | 1960 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 46.67% | — |
| Milan Kristić | 
|
1960 | 1961 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 21.74% |  1960 Summer Olympic Games – Group stage 1962 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Frane Matošić |
|
1961 | 1962 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16.67% | 1962 Africa Cup of Nations – Third place
|
| André Gérard |
|
1963 | 1965 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 44.12% | 1963 Arab Cup – Champions 1963 Africa Cup of Nations – Group stage
|
| Mokhtar Ben Nacef |
|
1965 | 1968 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 33.33% | 1965 Africa Cup of Nations – Runners-up 1968 Africa Cup of Nations – Failed to qualify
|
| Radojica Radojičić |
|
17 November 1968 | 17 April 1969 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 22.22% | — |
| Sereta Begović |
|
27 April 1969 | 13 June 1969 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.00% | 1970 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Hameur Hizem (1) |
|
11 November 1970 | 16 July 1974 | 33 | 16 | 6 | 11 | 48.48% | 1974 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Andrej Prean Nagy | 
|
September 1974 | February 1975 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 40.00% | — |
| Abdelmajid Chetali |
|
12 February 1975 | 20 December 1978 | 52 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 34.61% | 1976 Africa Cup of Nations – Failed to qualify 1978 Africa Cup of Nations – Fourth Place 1978 FIFA World Cup – Group stage
|
| Ameur Hizem (2) |
|
December 1978 | April 1979 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.33% | — |
| Ahmed Dhib |
|
July 1979 | August 1980 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 21.43% | 1982 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Ryszard Kulesza | 
|
August 1981 | December 1983 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 40.00% | 1982 Africa Cup of Nations – Group stage 1984 Africa Cup of Nations – Failed to qualify
|
| Youssef Zouaoui (1) |
|
September 1984 | February 1986 | 26 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 54.16% | 1986 Africa Cup of Nations – Failed to qualify 1986 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Jean Vincent | 
|
October 1986 | April 1987 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10.00% | 1988 Africa Cup of Nations – Failed to qualify
|
| Taoufik Ben Othman |
|
September 1987 | July 1988 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 25.00% | — |
| Antoni Piechniczek (1) |
|
August 1988 | September 1988 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 33.33% | 1988 Summer Olympic Games – Group stage
|
| Mokhtar Tlili |
|
November 1988 | July 1989 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 21.43% | 1990 Africa Cup of Nations – Failed to qualify
|
| Antoni Piechniczek (2) |
|
July 1989 | November 1989 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 25.00% | 1990 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Mrad Mahjoub |
|
April 1990 | February 1993 | 26 | 8 | 13 | 5 | 30.77% | 1992 Africa Cup of Nations – Failed to qualify 1994 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Youssef Zouaoui (2) |
|
March 1993 | March 1994 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 30.77% | — |
| Faouzi Benzarti (1; caretaker) |
|
March 1994 | March 1994 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 1994 Africa Cup of Nations – Group stage
|
| Henryk Kasperczak (1) |
|
May 1994 | June 1998 | 59 | 30 | 11 | 18 | 50.84% | 1996 Africa Cup of Nations – Runners-up 1996 Summer Olympic Games – Group stage 1998 Africa Cup of Nations – Quarter-finals 1998 FIFA World Cup – Group stage
|
| Franco Scoglio | 
|
September 1998 | February 2001 | 32 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 59.73% | 2000 Africa Cup of Nations – Fourth Place
|
| Eckhard Krautzun | 
|
March 2001 | July 2001 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 57.14% | 2002 FIFA World Cup – Group stage
|
| Henri Michel |
|
November 2001 | March 2002 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 33.33% | 2002 Africa Cup of Nations – Group stage
|
| Ammar Souayah | 
|
March 2002 | July 2002 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.00% | — |
| Roger Lemerre |
|
25 September 2002 | 30 June 2008 | 67 | 40 | 15 | 12 | 59.70% | 2004 Africa Cup of Nations – Champions 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup – Group stage 2006 Africa Cup of Nations – Quarter-finals 2006 FIFA World Cup – Group stage 2008 Africa Cup of Nations – Quarter-finals
|
| Humberto Coelho | 
|
30 June 2008 | 18 November 2009 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 33.33% | 2009 African Nations Championship – Failed to qualify 2010 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Faouzi Benzarti (2) |
|
23 November 2009 | 23 January 2010 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0.00% | 2010 Africa Cup of Nations – Group stage
|
| Bertrand Marchand |
|
June 2010 | 15 December 2010 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 50.00% | — |
| Sami Trabelsi |
|
11 March 2011 | 8 February 2013 | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 40.63% | 2011 African Nations Championship – Champions 2012 Africa Cup of Nations – Quarter-finals 2013 Africa Cup of Nations – Group stage
|
| Nabil Maâloul (1) |
|
14 February 2013 | 8 September 2013 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 28.57% | 2014 African Nations Championship – Failed to qualify
|
| Ruud Krol (caretaker)[5] | 
|
18 September 2013 | 17 November 2013 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00% | 2014 FIFA World Cup – Failed to qualify
|
| Georges Leekens | 
|
27 March 2014 | 26 June 2015 | 19 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 36.84% | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations – Quarter-finals
|
| Henryk Kasperczak (2)[6][7] |
|
13 July 2015 | 7 April 2017 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 46.15% | 2016 African Nations Championship – Quarter-finals 2017 Africa Cup of Nations – Quarter-finals
|
| Nabil Maâloul (2) |
|
27 April 2017 | 12 July 2018 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 46.15% | 2018 FIFA World Cup – Group stage
|
| Faouzi Benzarti (3)[8] |
|
28 July 2018 | 20 October 2018 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | — |
| Alain Giresse[9][10] |
|
14 December 2018 | 21 August 2019 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 41.67% | 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – Fourth Place
|
| Mondher Kebaier[11][12] |
|
29 August 2019 | 30 January 2022 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 8 | 61.29% | 2020 African Nations Championship – Withdrew 2021 FIFA Arab Cup – Runners-up 2021 Africa Cup of Nations – Quarter-finals
|
| Jalel Kadri[13] |
|
30 January 2022 | 24 January 2024 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 51.85% | 2022 FIFA World Cup – Group stage 2023 Africa Cup of Nations – Group stage
|
| Montasser Louhichi (caretaker)[14][15] |
|
26 January 2024 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00% | — |
Statistics edit
| Nat | Manager | Stats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First coach |
|
Rachid Turki | 1956 |
| Longest period | 
|
Roger Lemerre | 5 years, 280 days |
| Shortest period |
|
Faouzi Benzarti (1) | 4 days |
| Most matches |
|
Roger Lemerre | 67 matches |
| Less matches |
|
Faouzi Benzarti (1) | 1 match |
| Most wins |
|
Roger Lemerre | 40 wins |
| Most defeats |
|
Henryk Kasperczak (1) | 18 defeats |
| Highest win% |
|
Faouzi Benzarti (3) | 100.00% |
| Lowest win% |
|
Sereta Begović Ammar Souayah Faouzi Benzarti (1&2) Ruud Krol |
0.00% |
Coaches by nationality edit
| Country | Managers |
|---|---|
| Tunisia
|
17 |
| France
|
6 |
| Poland
|
3 |
| Yugoslavia
| |
 Algeria
|
1 |
| Belgium
| |
 Croatia
| |
| Germany
| |
| Hungary
| |
| Italy
| |
| Netherlands
| |
| Portugal
|
References edit
- ^ "Tunisia National Team Coaches". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "Portail internet de la Fédération Tunisienne de Football". Archived from the original on 2009-05-23. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ^ "Lemerre sacked as Tunisia coach". Jp.soccerway.com. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
- ^ "Entraîneurs Nationaux" (in French). Tunisian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Krol appointed interim Tunisia coach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ "Tunisie : Henryk Kasperczak nommé sélectionneur des Aigles de Carthage - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ "Henryk Kasperczak, le sélectionneur de la Tunisie licencié". allAfrica.fr (in French). 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ "Faouzi Benzarti returns as Tunisia's new national coach". BBC Sport. 20 July 2018.
- ^ "Tunisia name Frenchman Alain Giresse as new coach". BBC Sport. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ Khmira, Souhail (21 August 2019). "Tunisia part ways with coach Alain Giresse by mutual consent". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Kebaier appointed as Tunisia coach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ Bouchet, Stevie G. (2022-02-02). "Mondher Kebaier limogé de son poste de sélectionneur de la Tunisie". foot-paul.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ FIAUDRIN, Aymeric (2024-01-24). "CAN. Jalel Kadri annonce sa démission après l'élimination de la Tunisie". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ "Tunisie : Anis Boussaidi et Montassar Louhichi assurent l'intérim à la tête du Onze national". Webdo TN (in French). 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
- ^ "Anis Boussaidi et Montassar Louhichi sur le banc de la sélection tunisienne". www.kawarji.com. Retrieved 2024-02-02.