The planned friendly between Tunisia and Mali has been cancelled after injuries within the Tunisian squad and the commitments of some players influenced the decision, Tunisian Football Federation president Moez Nasri has said.
The match had been scheduled to take place on Saturday, 3 October, in Radès, but will no longer go ahead. The decision was made in consultation with Tunisia coach Mouine Chaâbani and with the agreement of the Malian Football Federation.
Nasri said the number of injuries affecting Tunisia’s national team was one of the main factors behind the cancellation.
He was speaking on the sidelines of an awareness day organised by the National Professional Football League, where he also addressed reports about the atmosphere inside the national team.
The FTF president rejected suggestions that there were tensions between Tunisia’s players and the technical staff.
“The situation within the Tunisian national team is good, contrary to what some people are saying. I have nothing to add or clarify further. The Tunisian Football Federation provided all the necessary conditions from an administrative and logistical standpoint, and we did everything that was asked of us,” Moez Nasri said.
Nasri’s comments came after the decision to abandon the fixture had raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the cancellation.
He said the federation had fulfilled its administrative and logistical responsibilities and maintained that the situation within the squad was positive.
The federation president was also asked about his own future and whether the recent difficulties could lead to his resignation.
“For the moment, we are not thinking about resigning. We did what we had to do. The results have not always been in our favor, but other national teams have also experienced difficulties.”
Nasri then provided further details about why Tunisia had decided against playing Mali.
“We felt that it was in the team’s best interests not to play this match, notably because of injuries and some players’ commitments, such as Ismaïl Gharbi. These are the real reasons for the cancellation.”
The cancellation comes amid reports of an incident involving another Tunisia player during training.
A report published on social media claimed there had been remarks from the coach followed by a tense exchange, after which Achouri allegedly left the training session before it had finished. The report said the player was subsequently left out of the training camp.
The supplied report does not provide a response from the player or further confirmation of the alleged incident.
Nasri’s explanation, however, focused on injuries and player commitments rather than tensions within the squad. He also specifically rejected claims that the relationship between the players and technical staff was problematic.
The cancellation means Tunisia will not play the planned fixture against Mali in Radès on 3 October.
The decision also follows Tunisia’s difficulties in the qualifying campaign for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with the supplied report noting that the team had stumbled again against Botswana.
For the federation, the immediate priority behind cancelling the Mali fixture was what Nasri described as the best interests of the national team.
The FTF president said the decision had been reached with the involvement of the coach and the agreement of the Malian federation, while identifying injuries and the commitments of certain players as the principal reasons.
Nasri also maintained that the federation had provided the conditions required for the team from an administrative and logistical perspective, despite the cancellation and the questions surrounding it.
