Former Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi, the heavy favourite to take over the Carthage Eagles, has reportedly turned down the opportunity to coach his national team just five months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The vacancy emerged following the dismissal of Sami Trabelsi, who was sacked this week after a disappointing Round of 16 exit at the 2025 AFCON.
Despite the Tunisia Football Federation’s efforts to ‘restore competitiveness’ following a penalty shootout loss to 10-man Mali, their primary target appears unwilling to step into the dugout.
Nabi, 60, was widely expected to accept the role given his current status as a free agent. The veteran tactician most recently ended a 15-month stint with Chiefs in October 2025, where he ended the club’s decade-long trophy drought by clinching the Nedbank Cup.
NASREDDINE NABI OPTS TO CONTINUE SABBATICAL
Sources indicate that while Nabi has been offered the position repeatedly, he remains firm in his decision to maintain his current sabbatical from football. The FTF had hoped to entice the Tunisian native with a short-term deal specifically for the World Cup campaign, but those efforts have so far proven unsuccessful.
The rejection comes at a time of high tension for Tunisian football. Following the AFCON exit, Burnley star Hannibal Mejbri issued a scathing assessment of the national team’s infrastructure and mentality.
“We are behind in our football… we are lagging in so many areas,” Mejbri told RMC Sport. “All the people responsible for Tunisian football need to sit down together and ask the real questions. We absolutely need to work and start everything from scratch.”
With Nabi out of contention, the FTF must swiftly shift focus to other candidates on their shortlist. Potential options include Mouin Chaâbani, a Tunisian coaching Morocco’s RS Berkane. Also considered are Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta and Franck Haise, the former OGC Nice manager. Notably, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, icons of Arsenal and France, have been sensationally linked to the role as the federation searches for a high-profile appointment.
The incoming coach faces a Group of Death scenario in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Tunisia has been drawn into Group F and is scheduled to face the UEFA Playoff winner, the Netherlands and Japan.
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