Mohamed Aboutrika did not mince his words. As Tunisia absorbed the fallout of their Africa Cup of Nations exit, the former Egypt star shifted the debate away from the dugout and towards a deeper problem he believes has been years in the making.
Tunisia’s campaign at the 2025 AFCON ended on Saturday night with a painful penalty shootout defeat to Mali, losing 3–2 after a 1–1 draw across 120 minutes.
The immediate consequence was the dismissal of head coach Sami Trabelsi, a decision that felt inevitable amid public frustration. Yet Aboutrika insists it was also predictable in another way: it was unlikely to change much.
Speaking on beIN SPORTS, Aboutrika defended Trabelsi and argued that the coach had become a convenient target.
According to him, Tunisia’s struggles cannot be solved by replacing the man on the touchline.
He went as far as suggesting that even Pep Guardiola, one of the most decorated coaches in modern football, would struggle to extract more from the current group than Trabelsi managed.
“The decision to dismiss Sami Trabelsi as Tunisia coach was expected, but it will not solve the crisis.”
He added: “The problem with the Carthage Eagles is not the head coach. Even if Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola were appointed, he would not achieve more than what Trabelsi delivered.”
“I have great admiration for Tunisian football, but we are currently looking at one of the weakest generations in terms of quality. We can only hope things improve before the World Cup finals.”
