The news broke this evening, bringing an end to weeks of speculation and growing tension surrounding the first team. Espérance Sportive de Tunis have decided to part ways with head coach Maher Kanzari, concluding a period that had become increasingly difficult to manage, both on a sporting and a human level.
Under heavy criticism for some time, Maher Kanzari was no longer working in optimal conditions. Social media, sections of the press, and at times even the stands at the stadium had created a suffocating climate around the technical staff. This constant pressure, intensifying week after week, eventually left the coach isolated, without any public backing, including from the club’s leadership.
According to several sources, Maher Kanzari had even submitted his resignation on two occasions. On both occasions, the club’s management chose to reject it, driven by confidence in his work but also by considerations of timing. Espérance were engaged in a demanding cycle of CAF Champions League matches, all crucial and played on a weekly basis, and any abrupt change was deemed risky.
However, today’s 1–0 defeat away to Stade Malien in Bamako, in the CAF Champions League, accelerated the process. It proved to be the turning point. Despite the importance of the upcoming continental fixture, scheduled in less than a week, the club’s leadership judged that the situation was no longer under control and that Maher Kanzari could no longer carry out his duties serenely under an increasingly unbearable campaign of pressure.
Club president Hamdi Meddeb therefore took the decision to relieve Maher Kanzari of his duties. The appointment of his successor will be announced in due course. In the meantime, and barring any surprises, the interim role is expected to be entrusted to Christophe Chaintreuil, the club’s youth technical director, who will be tasked with steering the team through this delicate transitional period.
We would like to wish Maher Kanzari all the best for the future. He leaves behind an overall very positive record after eleven months in charge, marked by professionalism, commitment, and dedicated service to the Blood and Gold.