Tunisia national team head coach Jalel Kadri has announced his decision to quit his position live on television just minutes after their elimination from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The 52-year-old trainer during a post-match interview with beIN Sports announced that he has resigned from his post with immediate effect.
The Carthage Eagles were held to a scoreless stalemate by South Africa in their group match in the AFCON on Wednesday night at the Stade Amadou Gon Coulibaly in Korhogo.
The draw means Tunisia failed to make it to the next round of the tournament in Cote d’Ivoire as they finished at the bottom of Group E.
The Carthage Eagles lost to Namibia in their first group game before drawing 1-1 with Mali in the second and then another draw against South Africa.
Kadri follows Jean-Louis Gasset, Chris Hughton, Tom Saintfiet, and Djamel Belmadi, who have all quit their jobs after disappointing AFCON campaigns.
In January 2022, Kadri took charge during the 2021 AFCON round of 16 against Nigeria, replacing Coach Mondher Kebaier due to a Covid-19 infection.
Tunisia secured a 1–0 victory. Following their AFCON quarter-finals elimination against Burkina Faso, Kadri was named temporary coach.
He successfully guided the team to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, earning him the permanent coaching position.
However, Tunisia faced disappointment in the World Cup, failing to progress beyond the group stage, with a 0–1 defeat to Australia overshadowing their heroic 1–0 win against defending champions France.
Despite this, Kadri retained his position until January 2024.
