AFCON 2021: Tunisia sack coach Mondeher Kebaier after exit

Tunisia head coach, Mondher Kebaier was sacked on Sunday, the day after the team's elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations and two months before they compete in the World Cup playoffs for a place at the tournament in Qatar.

Kebaier, 51, who had been in charge since August 2019, will be replaced by his 50-year-old deputy coach Jalel Kadri, the Tunisia Football Federation confirmed in a statement.

“It was decided to end the contractual relationship with Mondher Kebaier and to appoint Jalal Al-Qadri as his successor,” the statement read.

"We thank Mondher Kebaier for the effort he made during the period he spent at the helm of the national team, wishing him success in the rest of his coaching career."

Tunisia, the 2004 African Cup of Nations champions, lost two of their three group matches but managed to get into the knockout stages of the tournament in Cameroon as one of the four best third-placed finishers.

Before his appointment to coach the national team, Kebaier had handled Tunisian giants Esperance for a month in 2018 and he also had spells at Etoile du Sahel, CA Bizertin and Club African in Tunisia.

Mondher is not the first coach to be sacked following an exit from the ongoing AFCON. Ghana Football Association last week fired its coach  Milovan Rajevac after the Black Stars early exit from the group stage at the tournament.