Tunisia have cancelled their friendly against Mali in Rades after a turbulent international break was compounded by Elias Achouri’s departure from the squad and growing tensions between manager Mouine Chaabani and members of his team.
The Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) said the decision was taken after discussions with the coaching staff and the Malian Football Federation. However, Reuters reported that the team’s long list of absentees was not the only factor behind the cancellation.
The possibility of another defeat, which could have caused Tunisia to fall further in the FIFA rankings, also influenced the decision.
The developments followed two disappointing results in Tunisia’s opening Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifying matches under Chaabani. The Carthage Eagles drew 1-1 at home with Uganda before being held to a 2-2 draw by Botswana.
Achouri, a San Diego player who had started the Botswana match on the bench, came on during the game. According to several Tunisian media reports, he later had a heated exchange with Chaabani.
The winger subsequently left the squad and is reported to have been excluded by the coaching staff. He also stopped following the Tunisian Football Federation on Instagram.
His departure added to an already difficult situation for Tunisia, who were due to face Mali on Saturday. Ghram, Kadida, Nasraoui and Ben Hassen were unavailable because of injuries, while Neffati and Laidouni were unwell. Gharbi had permission to return to his club after the competitive fixtures.
With Achouri’s exclusion, Tunisia were left without eight players before the proposed friendly.
Several Tunisian media outlets have also reported an increasingly strained relationship between Chaabani and part of his dressing room, adding to concerns about the team’s direction after its underwhelming start to the qualifiers.
Ronaldo comparison
The incident involving Achouri has drawn comparisons with the situation currently affecting Portugal, although the circumstances are not identical.
A few hours earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo had also left his national team’s camp in controversial circumstances after a disagreement with Jorge Jesus. Ronaldo had remained on the bench for Portugal’s match against Norway.
He announced his departure on Wednesday, following a news conference held by his manager, and said he would later reveal “the truth” about his decision.
In Tunisia’s case, the absences, poor results and reported internal tensions combined to create a situation in which the federation chose to avoid the risk of another match.
The cancellation represents another difficult episode for Tunisian football, which has already faced considerable upheaval in recent months. It also gives greater weight to concerns expressed by Hannibal Mejbri about the condition of the national team after the last Africa Cup of Nations.
