'Defeated by Japan, exploded in anger': Tunisian defender harshly criticizes the federation's 'hasty administration,' saying, "Look at Japan's system; ours is a hastily assembled team." Tears finally flowed.

*This content was translated by AI.

Ali Abdli (33), the Tunisian defender who suffered a crushing defeat against Japan, launched a scathing critique of his country's football federation for its hasty administration.

On the 21st (Korea time), Tunisia suffered a 0-4 defeat against Japan in the second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the Americas, held at the Monterrey Stadium in Guadalupe, Mexico.

After losing 1-5 to Sweden in the first group match, Tunisia made a bold move by abruptly dismissing coach Sabri Lamouchi and appointing Hervé Renard as the new manager. However, just four days later, they were helplessly defeated in the match against Japan, shattering their hopes of advancing to the round of 16.

In a post-match interview, Abdli expressed strong anger over the hastily assembled team composition. According to 'BeIn Sports', Abdli bowed his head and said, "I apologize to the fans who truly love their country, not those who stir up the team with baseless rumors."

When asked about the reasons for their early elimination, he stated, "It is because we faced strong teams that had prepared for years with a hastily assembled team that had never properly gelled. It was unreasonable from the start to change the coach just a month before the World Cup and rush to put together a team."

Referencing Tunisia's past success in the Africa Cup of Nations, he criticized the federation, saying, "Veterans should not be excluded or wiped out just because they failed once. Just because the results were not quite right, they try to tear everything down and start over."

He specifically compared Tunisia's situation to Japan's stable operational system. Abdli said, "Look at the Japan team we faced today. They built their team over several years with almost the same roster as in the 2022 Kirin Cup. In contrast, we created a completely different team just a month before the opening. Expecting good results in this manner is absurd."

Finally, Abdli shed tears and conveyed his apologies to coach Renard and the coaching staff. He said, "I am sorry to the coaching staff who risked their careers by joining such an unstable team. To truly rebuild the team, we must take time starting now with the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations as our goal. Suddenly overturning the team right before the World Cup and expecting immediate results is something that cannot be done in a common-sense manner," he raised his voice again.

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*This content was translated by AI.