Carthage Eagles turn to Benzarti to end tailspin
2009-11-26
After crashing out of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, the Carthage Eagles have sacked Humberto Coelho and hired veteran coach Faouzi Benzarti.
By Mona Yahia for Magharebia in Tunis – 26/11/09
 [Anesh Debiky/Gallo Images/Getty Images] Humberto Coelho lost support after the Tunisian squad's failure to qualify for the World Cup. |
Many Tunisians are cheering this week's decision to substitute Esperance coach Faouzi Benzarti for Humberto Coelho, who failed to lead the Carthage Eagles to South Africa for the World Cup.
The Tunisian Football Federation narrowed down a list of candidates and finally settled on Benzarti because of his expertise with Tunisian football and "his previous experience in coaching teams," federation spokesperson Omar Farouk Garbi said on Monday (November 23rd).
"I see myself as a tool at the disposal of the national team," Benzarti said in a statement released after the appointment. He said his Esperance duties would not interfere with coaching the national side, adding that several European teams were led by coaches juggling multiple roles.
Benzarti's first challenge will come at the African Cup of Nations, which will be played in Angola January 10th-31st of next year. Tunisia are in Group D along with Cameroon, Gabon and Zambia.
According to the federation's Kemal Ben Amr, Benzarti has agreed to a score-based contract, although the exact terms have not yet been firmed up. Also up for negotiation is the overall length of the contract. The federation itself suggested the current two-team leadership scenario, which will last until July 1st, at which point Benzarti will relinquish his Esperance role to focus solely on the national team.
Tunisia lost its shot at the World Cup after losing 1-0 to Mozambique earlier this month. Fans were furious, because then-coach Coelho had been brought in to replace Roger Lemerre and beef up the team for international competition. Coelho was summarily dismissed from his duties following the loss to the Marvelous Mambas and a closed-door federation meeting on November 23rd.
Sport commentator Ahmed Lemguirbi approved of the coaching change. He said Benzarti's extensive coaching experience, which includes a stint leading the Libyan national team, as well as his reputation as a disciplinarian, would serve the Carthage Eagles well.
Nader, a Tunisia fan, wholeheartedly agreed with this assessment, saying the players are "way too spoilt, and the best person to take charge of them is Faouzi Benzarti".
Nader's frustration was representative of reactions on the Tunisian street to their national team's dismaying performance on the pitch.
"We lost a lot, and recruiting foreign coaches didn't prove very efficient," said fan Maouledi. "Faouzi is best equipped to coach the national team."
Another fan, Maouledi, told Magharebia that the best thing for the Eagles squad would be to work under a Tunisian coach, who would better understand the players and how football is played in the country.
The Tunisian press also lauded the decision to hire Benzarti, calling him the right man for the right position.
"This coaching change could be good for [French-league defender] Ala-Eddine Yahia, who was rejected by the previous coach," editorialised Lensois.com. "As for [former Esperance goalkeeper] Hamdi Kasraoui, he could regain his place in the cage" since Benzarti knows him well.
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Tounsi Posted 2009-11-26
Eagles!? More like the Carthage blue jays! (My apologies to the blue jays!)
Adel Posted 2009-11-29
Like all Tunisians, I am in favour of Benzarti’s recruitment, and that comes even before Coehlo. But, what I fear with this recruitment is that Esperance will become the national team and, more importantly, the firing of the goalie, who has shown great performance in all the games he plays. He has the same quality as El Kasraoui, who has been missing from the matches. I am a Esperance fan, but my interest in the national team obliges me to step in like this. I hope that Benzarti will have the foresight to recruit good players either from the championships or professionals. More importantly, he should develop the players that he wants to keep from Coehlo’s team, given that they lacked discipline on the field in both the Kenya and Mozambique matches. We were seven months from South Africa, but their hotheadedness put us four years away from Brazil… if we get to Brazil.
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