AFCON 2025: Hannibal Mejbri Admits Tunisian Football Is “10 Years Behind” After Mali Exit
Tunisia midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has delivered a brutally honest assessment of the state of football in the country following Tunisia’s disappointing exit from the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Saturday.
Tunisia’s campaign came to an abrupt end in the Round of 16, as they failed to progress despite playing with a numerical advantage for large periods of the match. Mali ultimately secured a place in the quarterfinals, edging Tunisia 3–2 on penalties after a fiercely contested 1–1 draw across regulation and extra time.
After Tunisia was knocked out by Mali, Hannibal Mejbri didn’t hold back:
“I will say it now, we are 10 years behind in football. We have to sit down and ask ourselves how we got to this point. We have to re-educate and train in everything, learn again from the beginning from the very first jobs in football. Football in Tunisia has fallen behind a lot, especially when you compare us to countries like Morocco.”
