MONTERREY, Mexico, June 16 - Tunisia's new coach Herve Renard said he was motivated by the challenge of taking charge of the team after his predecessor Sabri Lamouchi was fired following a crushing 5-1 defeat by Sweden in their World Cup opener.
"(When) the federation contacted me, I didn't hesitate for a second," he told a press conference on Tuesday after arriving in Monterrey to lead a training session in the evening. "It's a challenge that isn't easy, but it's a motivating challenge."
Lamouchi's dismissal marked the first coaching casualty of the tournament. Before his sacking, he told a press conference "way too many mistakes" led to the "painful" loss on Sunday, when Sweden's strikers tore Tunisia's defence to shreds.
Fellow Frenchman Renard, twice an Africa Cup of Nations winner, brings significant coaching experience. He managed Saudi Arabia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and led them to a famous victory over eventual champions Argentina in the group stage.
Renard left to coach the French women's team at the World Cup in 2023 and Paris Olympics the following year, before returning to Saudi Arabia and helping the men's side qualify for a third successive World Cup.
The 57-year-old said he met briefly with the Tunisia squad on Tuesday afternoon, after arriving on a flight from Paris, and added that the atmosphere was "very good."
"I just told them we have to hold our heads high, we have to move forward ... you're here to represent the country, Tunisia. It's an honour, it's a duty. And we owe it to ourselves to do much better than the result of the first match," he told reporters.
Renard said he felt for Lamouchi, 54, who he said he knew personally, adding he had paid the price for Tunisia's dismal showing on Sunday.
"As we say, you can't fire the squad, so the one who takes the blame is the coach."
Tunisia's next Group F game will be on Sunday against Japan, who drew 2-2 with the Netherlands in their opener.
Renard, who has repeatedly coached against Japan, said he considered them to be the best in Asia and praised the squad's collaborative spirit and ability to play together seamlessly.
"I know very well the quality of this team, but at the moment we need to be focused on ourselves," he said. "We still have a few days to be ready for me to play one more time against Japan."
(Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener in Monterrey, Mexico, Editing by Ken Ferris)
