The Tunisian FA have approached four coaches as possible replacements for Roger Lemerre. The Tunisia Football Federation said on Friday it had approached former French internationals Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana, the former French national team assistant coach Guy Stephan and Vahid Halilhodzic, a former Yugoslav international. Tunisia have been relatively successful under Lemerre, winning the 2004 African Nations Cup and qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.
The answer is not Guy Stephan. Just ask anyone called Boubacar in Dakar. The Spanish born Fernandez has some appeal. He comes from Tarifa, the most southern most point in Continental Europe. He has managed in the Arab leagues and for Beitar Jerusalem, the team whose supporters cheer the name of Yigal Amir. He stood on the sidelines in Bilbao. Fernandez would not be intimidated if the Tunisia team bus came under a hail of bottles in Algiers or Benghazi. He knows Tunisia, but I suspect he would be just another French journeyman whose star is fading. Jean Tigana. Oh Jean Tigana. Jean Tigana could thread a pass through the hole of a Kaak Warka. Tigana has had a selective managerial career. He delivered for Mohammed Fayed and is held in highest regard by the taxi drivers of Istanbul. I would love to see Tigana manage Tunisia. I realize this counters the Belichickian model so often advanced on this blog, but perhaps Vahid Halilhodzic has had a little too much Hillary-like experience in France.
I expect Memmi might agree with my analysis and would question why the Tunisian FA have not approached a Tunisian to replace the Frenchman.
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