BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Following the dismissal of head coach Sabri Lamouchi after their heavy 5-1 defeat to Sweden, Tunisia have appointed experienced French manager Herve Renard as his replacement for the remainder of their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign.

The Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) announced the decision on Tuesday, making Lamouchi the first managerial casualty of the tournament.

The former Côte d’Ivoire coach and Tunisian-French national had only been appointed in January on a contract running until 2028, but departs after a disappointing run of results.

Tunisia’s crushing loss to Sweden in Monterrey proved the final blow for Lamouchi, whose side had struggled for form in the months leading up to the World Cup. Under his leadership, the Eagles of Carthage won just one of five matches, a narrow 1-0 victory over Haiti in March. They also suffered a 1-0 defeat to Austria and a 5-0 thrashing by Belgium in World Cup warm-up fixtures earlier this month.

With crucial Group F matches against Japan on Saturday and the Netherlands on June 25 still to come, Tunisian officials moved quickly to make a change in the hope of salvaging their campaign.

In a statement released on social media, the FTF confirmed that Renard would take charge until the conclusion of Tunisia’s World Cup participation.

“The agreement also stipulates that negotiations will be opened after the World Cup campaign to consider a long-term partnership based on specific sporting objectives,” the federation said.

State broadcaster Television Tunisienne reported that Renard was expected to arrive in Monterrey later on Tuesday to join the squad and begin preparations for the decisive clash with Japan.

The appointment echoes a remarkable turnaround at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, when hosts Côte d’Ivoire dismissed coach Jean-Louis Gasset during the group stage after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea. The Ivorian federation explored the possibility of bringing in Renard — who had led the Elephants to the 2015 continental title — but was unable to secure his release from his role as coach of the French women’s national team. Côte d’Ivoire instead turned to interim coach Emerse Faé, who guided the team to an improbable AFCON triumph on home soil.

Tunisia will hope Renard can inspire a similarly dramatic revival.

The 57-year-old arrives with one of the most accomplished résumés in international football. He is the only coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations with two different countries, guiding Zambia to a historic title in 2012 before repeating the feat with Côte d’Ivoire three years later.

Renard is perhaps best remembered on the global stage for leading Saudi Arabia to one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history when they defeated eventual champions Argentina during the group stage of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

After leaving Saudi Arabia, Renard took charge of France’s women’s national team, leading Les Bleues at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Paris Olympics. He later returned to Saudi Arabia and helped the Green Falcons secure qualification for a third consecutive World Cup appearance before being replaced by Georgios Donis in the build-up to the 2026 finals.

Tunisia now hope Renard’s reputation as a tournament specialist and crisis manager can spark an immediate response, with their hopes of reaching the knockout stages hanging in the balance after a disastrous start to the tournament.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA

Iran and New Zealand shared the points in an entertaining FIFA World Cup 2026™ encounter, a result that carried significance far beyond the final score. With New Zealand’s draw against Team Melli, all six continental confederations represented at the tournament have now recorded at least one positive result, marking only the third time in FIFA World Cup™ history that every confederation has achieved such a feat.

The result also preserved the Asian Football Confederation’s impressive unbeaten start to the tournament. AFC nations have now gone six matches without defeat, recording victories against Korea Republic and Australia, while Qatar, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Iran have all earned draws.

Veteran defender Ramin Rezaeian once again etched his name into Iranian football history. His goal made him the first Iranian player ever to score in two different editions of the FIFA World Cup. At 36 years and 86 days, Rezaeian also became the oldest player from an AFC nation to score at the tournament, surpassing the previous record held by fellow Iranian Yahya Golmohammadi, who was 35 years and 84 days old when he scored against Mexico in 2006.

Iran’s experienced squad continued to set milestones. Shoja Khalilzadeh, aged 37 years and 32 days, became the second-oldest player to appear for Team Melli at a World Cup, behind only legendary striker Ali Daei. Meanwhile, captain Ehsan Hajisafi reached a landmark of his own by becoming the first Iranian player to make ten World Cup appearances.

New Zealand, however, demonstrated their trademark resilience. The All Whites have now drawn each of their last four World Cup matches, extending a remarkable streak on football’s biggest stage.

Elijah Just was the standout performer for the Oceania representatives, becoming the first New Zealand player to score two goals at a FIFA World Cup. Veteran defender Michael Boxall also entered the record books, becoming the oldest player from the Oceania Football Confederation to appear at the tournament at 37 years and 301 days.

Captain Chris Wood added another historic achievement for New Zealand, becoming the first player from his country to feature in two separate editions of the FIFA World Cup.

While neither side claimed all three points, the match delivered a series of memorable milestones and reinforced the growing competitiveness of nations across every corner of the global game. As the FIFA World Cup 2026 continues, both Iran and New Zealand can take pride in contributing to a historic tournament for their respective confederations.

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Monday highlighted the deep political divisions within the Iranian diaspora, as Team Melli played out a 2-2 draw with New Zealand amid competing displays of national pride and opposition to Tehran’s government.

According to Reuters, the match took place less than 24 hours after a peace agreement was announced to end the conflict that began when the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran in February, adding further significance to Iran’s first appearance on U.S. soil during the tournament.

The Iranian squad travelled from its World Cup training base in Tijuana, Mexico, arriving in the United States on Sunday ahead of the Group G encounter.

For many Iranian Americans in Southern California, home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran, the occasion brought mixed emotions. Reuters reported that supporters were torn between excitement at seeing their national team compete on football’s biggest stage, anger over the Iranian government’s treatment of protesters, and concern about the impact of recent military actions involving the United States.

Inside Los Angeles Stadium, the majority of Iranian supporters passionately backed Team Melli throughout the match. However, many also displayed the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag, a symbol associated with opposition to the Islamic Republic and widely used by anti-government activists.

Others went further by cheering for New Zealand or expressing hostility toward Iran’s national team, which some members of the diaspora view as representing the government in Tehran rather than the Iranian people.

Outside the venue, several hundred demonstrators gathered before kickoff, waving anti-government banners and the Lion and Sun flag while calling attention to political developments inside Iran.

The demonstrations came despite earlier warnings from Iranian authorities that the team could withdraw from matches if unofficial flags were displayed or political slogans were chanted at stadiums.

Nevertheless, Reuters reported that numerous spectators carrying the pre-revolutionary flag or wearing clothing bearing the symbol entered the stadium without issue, and the match proceeded without disruption.

The situation has raised questions about FIFA’s enforcement of regulations concerning political symbols at World Cup venues. World football’s governing body has previously pointed to rules prohibiting flags, banners and apparel deemed political in nature. However, FIFA has not publicly clarified its position on the Iranian pre-revolutionary flag and did not immediately comment on its approach following Monday’s match.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino was present at the game, which ended in a 2-2 draw after Iran twice came from behind against New Zealand.

While the result left both teams with a point in Group G, the scenes in and around the stadium underscored how sport, politics and identity continue to intersect for many Iranians as their national team competes on the global stage.

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