These are the kind of defeats that often lead to introspection and questioning of an entire nation. This Saturday, Tunisia has already said goodbye to CAN 2025, eliminated on penalties by Mali (1-1, 3-2 tab) after playing 11 against 10 during almost the entire meeting.
A misstep which promises to leave traces and which has already loosened tongues. In the mixed zone after the match, the young talent Hannibal Mejbri (22 years old) did not mince his words. “We are behind in our football, and it must be said, we are behind on many things,” he regretted. We all need to sit around a table, all those responsible for Tunisian football, and ask ourselves the real questions because we are really late. »
“There’s no shame in learning every day”
Born in Ivry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne), passed through the training centers of Paris FC, AS Monaco and Manchester United, today on loan to Burnley (English D1), Hannibal Mejbri is one of the great hopes of Tunisian football, despite his distance from his homelands. “It hurts my heart to talk about it because I don’t live in Tunisia, it would be hypocritical of me but I can’t not talk about it, it’s sad,” he admits.
“We really need to work and start from scratch. All. Because there is a lot of talent in Tunisia, but we are late. When we see Algeria, Morocco, all the countries in Africa progressing except us, on everything, I don’t even have the words,” he added.
“Sorry, maybe it will go around Tunisia but we dream too much and we don’t work enough perhaps,” he concluded, aware of the power of his formula. We don’t train, although there’s no shame in learning every day. Whether in football or outside it, we have to ask ourselves questions, me first, and I hope that will do it. »
