Jalal Kadri, the coach of the Tunisia national team, apologized to the fans in his country after losing to Namibia 0-1 on Tuesday evening in the first round of the fifth group of the African Cup of Nations.
Qadri said – in television statements after the match – “We apologize to the fans. It is a painful loss. The Namibia national team scored its goal at a cruel time and we did not succeed in reacting.”
The Tunisian coach stressed: “I bear responsibility. We are the ones who put ourselves in this situation, but we have the experience that makes us able to overcome the difficult situation.”
He added, “We must regain our level, and I trust the team to show a strong response in the next two matches against Mali and South Africa.”
He also pointed out, “We know the difficulty and importance of the first match in all tournaments, but we are not the first team to be defeated in its first match. Argentina lost its first match in the World Cup to Saudi Arabia and then won the title at the end of the journey.”
Jalal Al-Qadiri apologizes to the Tunisian public#Africa_Cup of Nations | #Tunisia_Namibia#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/WIZWuC50xf
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 16, 2024
Jalal Qadri explained the reason for the loss to Namibia, saying: “We knew the opponent’s strengths and I warned the players about them, but unfortunately we did not pay attention to them, and our level was very bad in the first half, and it improved relatively after making a number of substitutions.”
Qadri concluded his statements: “Taha Yassin Al-Khanisi’s injury in the first quarter of an hour confused the calculations and prompted us to change the plan. We also criticized the ineffectiveness in exploiting four opportunities achieved in front of the Namibia goal.”
The Tunisia national team will play against Mali next Saturday in the second round, and will conclude its campaign in the first round by facing South Africa on Wednesday, January 24th.
Namibia surprises Tunisia
⏯️ Watch the match summary 👇#Africa_Cup of Nations | #Tunisia_Namibia #TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 pic.twitter.com/lVq6ms81q8
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) January 16, 2024
