Tunisia coach Moine Chaabani has acknowledged a major error in his approach to the 1-1 draw with Uganda, leaving his new tenure under immediate scrutiny before Monday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Botswana.
The “Eagles of Carthage” were held at the Hamadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades after taking an early lead through Adam Arous in the 12th minute. Uganda responded through Rogers Matu in the 68th minute to earn a point in the opening Group H fixture of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Chaabani’s admission that he approached the Uganda match in a manner closer to a friendly has raised questions about the preparations for Tunisia’s first competitive fixture under his leadership.
The match was an official qualifier, meaning the points collected counted towards the Group H standings, which also feature Libya and Botswana.
Chaabani is responsible for the team’s technical and mental preparation, making his comments particularly significant. The decision to approach an official qualifier with the mindset of a friendly was therefore presented as more than simply a tactical issue.
The circumstances have also raised questions about the role of the Tunisian Football Federation in preparing the national team for the qualifying campaign.
The federation appointed Moez Mestiri as the main official responsible for the senior national team, and he had announced the programme and dates for the matches against Uganda and Botswana before the qualifiers began.
The technical staff were expected to understand the importance of the competition, its regulations and the implications of the results in the group. The federation had also made clear that the fixtures against Uganda and Botswana represented the first and second rounds of the qualifiers.
The situation has consequently highlighted concerns about coordination between the technical staff and the officials overseeing the national team.
Tunisia now has little time to reflect on the disappointing start, with Botswana due to visit the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades on 28 September for the second round of Group H.
The fixture has taken on greater importance after Tunisia and Uganda shared the points in their opening match, while Libya and Botswana also drew 1-1. All four teams therefore began the group stage with one point.
Chaabani will need to address the problems exposed by the opening fixture as Tunisia attempts to get its qualifying campaign back on track. Another setback against Botswana would make the group situation more difficult for the former African champions.
The match is also an early test of a new era for Tunisia, with the federation having appointed Chaabani on a four-year contract following the end of the team’s participation in the 2026 World Cup.
His technical staff includes Murad Al-Maliki and Saif Allah Hosni as assistant coaches, Khaled Al-Maghzawi as goalkeeping coach, Hatem Bouleila as physical trainer and Wissam Safwat as the team’s analyst.
Before the qualifiers began, Chaabani said his objectives included restoring the Tunisian national team’s standing in African football and improving its position in the world rankings. He also stressed the importance of physical preparation and mental focus during the new phase.
The draw with Uganda, however, has provided an early setback to those ambitions and placed both the coach and the federation under their first significant test of the new campaign.
Tunisia must now respond against Botswana after a start that exposed both technical and administrative questions surrounding the national team.
