Tunisia's camp has seen a surprising development as Elias Alashouri, a player from San Diego, has left the squad after a heated discussion with coach Moin Chabani.
According to what was reported by the "Diwan FM" website, today Wednesday, the Tunisian Football Federation, in coordination with Chabani, decided to exclude Al-Ashouri from the training camp and impose a disciplinary penalty on him, without revealing the details of the discussion that took place between the player and the coach or the nature of the penalty to be imposed on him.
This decision comes at a sensitive time for the Tunisian national team, which has not achieved any victories in its first two matches under the leadership of Chaabani in the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification 2027, having settled for a draw against Uganda and Botswana.
Tunisia began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Uganda on September 24, in the first official match for coach Jalel Kadri, before drawing again against Botswana 2-2 on September 28 at the Hamadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades.
In the match against Botswana, the visiting team took the lead first, before Tunisia turned the score around with two goals from Hazem El-Mestouri. However, they could not maintain their advantage, as Botswana managed to equalize, continuing Shaaban's winless start.
The coach, Jalel Kadri, urged Tunisian fans to be patient after the draw with Botswana, emphasizing that the national team needs "time and a lot of patience" to reach the required level. He also acknowledged the defensive issues and the lack of a finishing touch in front of goal.
The start of Jalel Kadri's tenure has not been without criticism, especially after he took charge of the national team following a disappointing performance in the FIFA World Cup 2026, which saw the "Carthage Eagles" exit in the first round after losing to Sweden 5-1, then Japan 4-0, and the Netherlands 3-1.
The Tunisian Football Federation has signed a four-year contract with Shaaban as part of a project aimed at rebuilding the national team after the difficult period following the FIFA World Cup.
Despite this, the national team has not achieved the expected results in their first two matches under their new coach, having squandered their lead against Botswana and settled for just two points. The upcoming friendly match against Mali presents an opportunity for the coach to experiment with his players and work on correcting mistakes before resuming Africa Cup of Nations Qualification.
Al-Ashouri is among the players selected by Al-Shaabani for his initial squad, as he was present in the list of 26 players called up by the coach for the matches against Uganda, Botswana, and Mali.
Al-Ashouri is currently playing with San Diego, having joined the club in July 2026 from FC Copenhagen. He is 27 years old and plays as an attacking midfielder.
Tunisia continue their preparations for a friendly match against Mali on Saturday, October 3, in their final test during the current international break, before the Africa Cup of Nations Qualification resumes in November.
Tunisia will host Libya on November 11, before visiting them on November 15 in the fourth round. They will then conclude their group stage campaign with matches against Uganda and Botswana in March 2027.
