Skander Kasri, who was also vying for the job, was appointed as the coach of the A’ team which will act as the reserve squad from which they will pick promising players. These decisions don’t come as much of a surprise as they were leaked some time ago. The “bureau federal” will meet again next Monday to really “start working” as Coelho put it. Why not tomorrow though? We’re short on time dude!

Some Bio on Habib Mejri: He was a defensive midfielder as a player and he played with CSHL and CA with some outings with the national team for a short period of time. He’s coached CSHL, AS Marsa, Stade Tunisien, and CSS. He’s known for being a disciplinarian. His time with ST and CSS was not very successful but he managed to save Marsa and Hammam Lif from relegation on more than one occasion. Most people aren’t totally convinced by this decision because he’s not a very good communicator but I think that’s ok because Coelho seems to be a great one.

Plus Coelho interviewed him and made the assessment that Mejri’s football concepts are the closest to his own and that they can work together. Unlike Lemerre, our new coach wants a real partner who will propose useful ideas instead of just being his lapdog. Mejri has a very important job though as he will have to be a link with the players that don’t speak very good French (in that sense he’s the same as Maaloul).

Now that that’s out of the way there’s a few other things that need to get taken care of:

- Is Tahar Sioud resigning or not? There’s been lots of rumors about him recently but now the news is getting printed in more places than one. It’s no secret that he’s done a terrible job after taking over from Hammouda Ben Ammar. He knows it too and apparently he’s starting to sense that it’s not just the fans that are upset with him. Who would/should take his place?

This is a complicated situation because the president has to be voted in and the next general assembly is in September. That’s still a while away and the person taking over would be Kamel Ben Amor. I don’t really know his credentials but I remember seeing him on Dimanche Sport once and he seemed kind of out of it. He was mumbling and repeating himself and not really making too much sense. Maybe he’s scared of TV cameras but those aren’t exactly the qualities you’re looking for…

The other names are former Etoile president, Othmane Jenayeh, and current Stade Tunisien President Mohamad Achab. No one doubts in Jenayeh’s resume or his knowledge of the game, the only thing working against him is that his history is very much intertwined with Etoile and people might worry that his love for them might cloud his judgment and make him less impartial. Hammdouba Ben Ammar was quoted as saying that Sioud should be given more time but that eventually Jenayeh has to take responsibility and help Tunisian football because he is the most qualified. Hard to argue with that assessment coming from one of the most successful FTF presidents we’ve ever had.

As for Achab, my initial reaction is that he wouldn’t be up to the task. His relationship with the media is tenuous and he’s an emotional character. Then again I’m a little biased because I desperately want him to liberate Amir Akrout and allow him to be transferred to Club Africain, something he seems to be avoiding at all costs.

August 20th friendly update: A few weeks ago the news came out that Cape Verdes, Angola, and Guinea had expressed interest in playing us on this date. Now the prospective opponents for Coelho’s first match have shifted to Togo or Ghana. I would have been fine with Angola or Guinea since both are strong teams but facing a team the caliber of Ghana could be beneficial in the warm up for the crucial qualifier against Burkina Faso on September 6th. Togo is superior to Burkina but they are closer to them in style than Ghana is. I honestly don’t care who it is from that list.

I just want to see the players Coelho calls up and in what capacity he deploys them onto the field. That will tell me a lot about the future. Finally, we had mentioned that an away fixture could be preferred but Radio Tunis says that it will be a home match. This could turn out to be a good decision if we perform well and win in front of our fans who are in dire need of a reason to start supporting the Carthage Eagles again. If we leave for Burkina on the back of a convincing performance and a positive result, our confidence will be sky high.

Any thoughts on these items? Is Habib Mejri a good choice? Who would you select as FTF President if you were king? And what team should we face on August 20th?

In Other News

Club Africain beat Al Hilal Soudani by the score of 2-1 in their gala match to celebrate the title. About 20,000 fans showed up to El Menzah despite the match starting around 8:00 PM (a little late by Tunisian football standards). The goals were scored by Junior (9th minute) and Maameri (71st minute) before Moussaoui brought one back for the Sudanese side two minutes before the end. Mosaique reported that new recruit Maameri was the revelation of the match and that the CA fans were very pleased with him. Looks to be a solid addition…

Moncef Sellami was voted in as the new CSS president. He replaces Slaheddine Zahaf who was widely blamed for making the decisions that lead to CSS falling all the way to 10th place in the Championship. It was not an acceptable final standing for a club with a storied history and Zahaf paid the price. The Sfaxien club is preparing for their trip to South Africa to face Platinum Stars (a team that gave Ahly some trouble before bowing out of the Champions League). They will be without the influential Fateh Gharbi, Hamza Bouzidi, Maaouia Kadri (suspensions and injuries).

Kasraoui resigned with Esperance for two years. His contract was up and there were offers from Turkey and France but he decided to stay. You can hear what he had to say about his decision here.

CAB brought in some reinforcements last week with the return of Zied Laaroussi and the arrival of Daou Bakare to help their offense. It’s not all good news though as the club that is known for having financial issues now has to deal with a complaint from former player Souheil Berradhia who says they still owe him two months pay and some rewards for winning important matches. Ibtassim innaha Tounes

Cameraphone Footage of Rades Riots

If you don’t wanna hear filthy language don’t watch this. Otherwise its just scenes of vandalism. It’s probably not the most accurate portrayal of everything that happened as the most violent stuff probably didn’t get filmed. Still messed up that it came to this though…

Many want to talk about the referee and whether this match was bought. Match fixing exists in soccer but there will be no conclusive proof that such a thing occurred. The whole idea of bringing in foreign referees is so we can totally skip that discussion. We’re not just talking about any referee either, Florian Meyer has a solid CV (champions league, euro cup etc.) That said, he had a terrible game. No one, not even Esperance fans would argue that fact. Besides the questionable goal decisions he didn’t let advantage play out a lot of time and also lost control of the players. Let’s get the big calls out of the way before we talk about the players:

1. Esperance’s first goal was 100% valid.

2. Etoile’s equalizer was a foul on Kasaroui and was scored with Jmel’s hand. Florian Meyer let it stand.

3. The Gilson Silva goal is one I still don’t have a conclusive answer for. The announcers said it was considered offside even though there was a defender on the post because at the time the ball was played Hamdi Kasraoui was ahead of it. Apparently when the goalie is ahead of the ball, there needs to be two defenders holding the striker onside at the time the ball is played. I’m not an authority on this but if that is in fact in the rules of the game then Florian Meyer was correct to take it away.

4. Chermiti was one on one with Chaabani, who was the last defender, when he was taken down outside the box. This could have been a red card for Chaabani. Instead Etoile just got a free kick.

5. Ben Dhifallah’s goal should not have been wiped off. The linesman said it was a handball but the referee should not have trusted this decision. This came at a crucial point in the second half and it is understandable that Etoile fans reacted angrily towards it.

6. No question about Aboucherouane’s second.

7. Nafkha looked to have fouled an Esperance player in the box in the second half. No penalty was given.

8. The long distance equalizer at the very end of the match occurred when Radhouane Felhi fouled Hamdi Kasraoui in mid air. Some people might call it incidental contact but when I saw the replay I found it to be a sound decision.

So out of the three refused Etoile goals, one of them was valid and the other two are question marks. It’s a shame this doubt has overshadowed the match itself. Etoile fans feel robbed and I understand their frustration but all you have to do is go back one week to the Semi final where the same team was on the receiving end of a huge refereeing gift (the Stade Tunisien goal that was wrongly taken away for an imaginary offside).

Ask a ST fan and they’ll tell you it’s karma since they feel they should have been in the final. I’m not saying this to provoke anyone from Sousse or the Sahel. I just want to point out that there’s always an alternate perspective and that everyone at one point or another can benefit from bad calls. Finally, a referee making multiple mistakes does not necessarily mean he was paid off. If he was then how can one explain that the first Etoile goal came on a handball? To me these errors did not look premeditated.

The acts of violence that occurred after the match are regrettable and disappointing. That’s what happens when you mix questionable calls with upset fans and unprofessional police officers. I heard that the policemen provoked the Etoile supporters and caused the riots. This is just another symptom of regionalism that is plaguing our sport. I don’t blame Etoile fans for feeling like they are targeted. They had to put up with constant harassment on their way from Sousse to Rades so they showed up already quite pissed off. This is a serious problem in Tunisian soccer and more generally in our society as a whole.

Now that we’ve paid sufficient attention to the the disastrous officiating let’s turn our attention to the players themselves. No need to give you a play by play since most of you watched the game or have read about it elsewhere. Instead let me just highlight a few things that are noteworthy:

1. As a neutral supporter with no rooting interest, Esperance looked better over the 90 minutes and deserved to break the record for most Tunisian Cups (12). I haven’t seen them play with such confidence and determination in a long time.

2. Etoile desperately missed Afouane Gharbi and Moussa Narry in midfield. Both are stabilizing influences and it was evident from the very start the Michel Decastel put out a team that was offensively talented but not as adept at stealing the ball back.

3. Eneramo seems to have a magical ability of making the ball stick to his feet. Even when he is shoved and has his shirt pulled, he somehow manages to come away with it more often than not. He takes home the golden boot for finishing the Cup run with five goals to his name.

4. Amine Chermiti was a factor even though he didn’t get many shots on goal. He really should have finished the match with at least one assist to his name but Nafkha misjudged the his beautiful chip pass that split the defense wide open after he dazzled his marker with multiple step overs. If Nafkha had controlled that, we could be talking about a whole other game. Will this loss affect Chermiti’s transfer status? The rumor was that if Etoile won the cup, Chermiti’s chances of leaving would be greater…

5. Both keepers were sub par. I’m a Balbouli guy but he really could have done better on the first Esperance goal which was well within his grasp. Kasraoui continues to show that he is not good at judging the trajectory of the ball on crosses and shots from long distance.

6. Cabral stated the obvious when he said Aboucherouane was the difference maker. Hard to believe that the Moroccan was an injury doubt leading upto the final. His first goal was a trademark lefty strike from around forty yards out while the second was astounding because it was so well placed for a man who’s not known for shooting with his right foot. Credit him for being clever enough to surprise the Etoile defense who were shading his left all game.

7. The word out of the ESS camp was that despite arriving late from Benin, Muri Ogunbyi, was playing well enough in training to earn a starting place in the final. After seeing him yesterday though, Decastel might be ruing the decision to include him. The Ivorian, Toure, looked dangerous when he came on in the end (denied a goal by a reflex save from Kasraoui). If Etoile could do it over again, I think they would put him in from the start in place Ogunbyi who is on his way to Guingamp in France.

8. When Etoile was trying to fightback to equalize the ball went into the stands and there was no replacement! Where were the ballboys?

9. After the win, Chaabani confirmed the rumor of his move to Turkey. He says that deal is 90 percent complete.

10. The Cup is supposed to be handed by the President but he was not there. The Prime Minister gave it away instead.

11. An interesting moment of kindness between the assistant coach of Esperance, Maher Kanzari, and the President of the FTF, Tahar Sioud, at the end of the game. Sioud was furious with Kanzari for leaving the U17 national team after their great performance in South Korea last summer but thing looked better yesterday as him and Kanzari traded a customary two kisses on the cheek. Maybe I’m reading to much into it but it stood out to me.

In the end this match should have been a lot more fun to watch. I enjoyed it just because there was so much drama but the referee really ruined the flow of the game by relying too much on his whistle. There could have been more fans as well but things kicked off at 5:00 PM when it was still blistering hot.

In retrospect this might be better since the riots could have been bloodier under the cover of night. A happy ending for Esperance fans and a disappointing one for Etoile fans but ultimately a day in which many of Tunisia’s societal problems were put on display.

Congratulations to Esperance on their historic achievement. Better luck to Etoile. The rivalry continues in the CAF Confederation Cup. Let’s hope there’s we see some fair play at that encounter. Somehow I doubt it though…

More Pictures

Here and here.

The Goals That Were Taken Away

Gilson Silva goal, Mehdi Ben Dhifallah goal (confirmed my opinion that it should have been valid), final refused goal (still questionable, could have gone either way).

The Goals

Meawhile, the team from the capital will attempt to defend the title without their defensive talisman, Khaled Badra. The fact that EST is the defending cup champion during what can only be described as a rebuilding effort is a testament to their stature in Tunisian football. Only the big teams manage to keep winning silverware when they are not in top form. This cynical efficiency is what has made them giants in Tunisia and in Africa for as long as anyone can remember. Etoile’s good fortune took a turn for the worse recently but this will only make their desire to lift the title that much greater.

The only player missing for ESS will be Moussa Narry who is suspended for yellow card accumulation. Rumor has it he’s gone back to his country to get married. I guess thats as good a way as any to forget about the fact that you’re missing out on what many Tunisians like to call “Al 3irs al kourawi” (the wedding of Tunisian football). The groom is expected to be replaced by the Guinean Mohamed Sacko in the starting lineup.

There’s been a lot of attention being given to the fact that this is the first of three confrontations between the two clubs but this will have no bearing tomorrow as both teams will fight tooth and nail to complete their 2007/2008 season on a positive note.

Expect a festive atmosphere where even the fans will put on a show. Tunisian “dakhlas” (entrances) and tifosi’s are recognized as some of the best in the world and tomorrow will certainly show that. I’ll try to get pictures of the banners and messages that are put on display in the post match report.

Possible/Expected Lineups:

Esperance: Kasraoui, Janvier, Derbali, Chaabani, Chammam, Hammi, Mahjoubi, Khlifa (or Aboucherouane), Darragi, Eneramo, Tayeb.

Etoile: Balbouli, Berradhia, Jmel, Felhi, Meriah, Sacko, Nafkha, Toure, Ogunbyi, Chermiti, Gilson Silva

Referees: Florian Meyer (Germany)

Time and Venue: Saturday, July 5th, at 5:00 PM Tunis Time in Rades Olympic Stadium

How They Got Here: Etoile beat Stade Tunisien in the first Semi and Esperance defeated Gafsa in the second.

To those of you in the USA, Happy 4th of July. Enjoy your day off!

Best of luck to both teams tomorrow in the Classico!

Predictions anyone?

Chaouki Unveiled at Nice:

The move itself is old news but it’s always fun to look at pictures and read up about players impressions of their new environments. Ben Saada deserves some serious respect for signing a year extension with Bastia prior to this move so that they could make some money off of him. He could have just left on a free transfer if he wanted since his contract was up this year. While it could have made him more appealing to other clubs, he showed his devotion to his childhood team and it still paid off. In a market where loyalty is going out of style, it’s this type of news that brings a smile to your face. Props Chaouki! Here’s a link to the interview on the Nice website and this is the video of his introduction. I like this guy more every day…

Santos Returns: It’s gonna be a big year for our Samba boy. We just finished talking about him but there’s an interview with the Roadrunner on the official Sochaux website right here.

Monaco Likely to Sign Jemaa: With Lens relegated and Jemaa not really interested in playing in Ligue 2, Monaco might be ready to swoop in for the lefty striker. Wherever he can get some steady playing time will be good.

Amir Akrout Situation: Everyone is wondering what’s going on with this kid. After the Algerian striker they had been tracking, Seguer, signed for Setif, Club Africain has heavy interest but so do the other big clubs in Tunisia. No one knows if he’s waiting for a move back to Europe or not though. Listen to what his agent has to say.

Seif Ghezal on BSC Young Boys Website: Seif Ghezal made an instant impact when he was transferred to the Swiss side in February. He scored three goals and imposed himself as a regular starter. This time of year everyone is trying to rev the public relations engine to get fans excited about the new season. Young Boys are no different. Check Ghezal’s profile and video interview. He looks pretty sophisticated in those street clothes huh? Composed on and off the field…

ESS Close to Signing Godwin: Everyone thought he had signed for Al Ahly but someone must have been misinformed. His move away from Al Hilal has been sketchy from the very start. Jawhara FM says he’s on his way to Sousse though but it’s not official yet. This might explain why the Chermiti to Hertha transfer is heating up again.

Finally, Club Africain’s gala match will not be against Zamalek. Instead the team will play Al Hilal of Sudan. Most CA fans are disappointed by this. It’s nothing against Al Hilal which had some great results last year. It’s just when it goes from Marseille or Lyon to Zamalek to…. Hilal you’re bound to have upset some people. Oh well, the CA faithful will surely be there like always. Word out of the team is that Melliti, Victor, and Tchala are all impressing in the preseason matches. It’ll be interesting to see them on Sunday. Mouihbi came back from a mini vacation in Paris yesterday. He’s joined the groups preparations in Ain Draham.

Previous rumors had linked him to Grenoble but his former club came out on top. Not only is this great news but its a logical step as the roadrunner (a nickname his teammates gave him) is still revered by Sochaux fans for the Ligue II goalscoring title he received the year they were promoted.

Last season must have felt like a living hell as he had a falling out with his coach and wasted away on the bench for an entire year. When he did take part in games, it was always cameo appearances in which he didn’t have the fitness or the confidence to be effective.

Not only did his reputation in France suffer but even in Tunisia there was a considerable amount of supporters (including me) who were incensed at Lemerre’s decision to take him to Ghana when he was lacking competition.

At the African Cup, he ended up scoring two goals when it should have been three and was non existent at times (you remember that slip in front of the open goalmouth after that superb run from Chikhaoui?) While he gave all he could, you could still see it wasn’t the Santos of 2004 who played an instrumental role in helping us lift our first continental title. Goal poaching instincts remained intact but it was painfully obvious that his pace and endurance just weren’t up to par.

He hasn’t taken part in any National team games since then yet his tally of 22 goals in 39 appearances with the Carthage Eagles are a constant reminder that we’ve never had such a prolific attacker in our history. Here’s to hoping that he can get his legs under him, regain some of that lost enthusiasm, and start reminding us of why we naturalized him in the first place.

And with that there’s only one thing left to say……

Bip! Bip!

Quick Transfer News

Left back Hichem Nsaibi joined Club Africain from Gafsa on a 3 year contract.

Opara is back at Etoile after an unsuccessful spell at Kaiserslautern. I believe it’s a 3 year contract also.

A BILD article claiming Chermiti will join Hertha Berlin after the Tunisian Cup final on Saturday. I guess we’ll know soon enough!

What I can tell you from an interview I read a few weeks ago is that one of the main reasons Kamel chose the club is because they are qualified for Champions League and he’s dreamed of taking part in that competition for his entire life. Certainly as good a reason as any for a footballer with ambition.

He also expressed his undying love for Taraji and their fans. Despite being one of their most talented players, some of them have criticized him in the past and I don’t even know why or what their justification was (maybe you do? if so please enlighten me). He’s contributed a lot to the team that took a chance on him when he was just a 17 year old in Ariana. 27 goals in 133 games don’t fly off the page but when you consider he’s a midfielder, it’s a much more impressive statistic. Plus it doesn’t take into consideration the countless goals he’s helped set up with his crosses and impeccably placed free kicks.

In the interview I read, he does mention how things weren’t so perfect financially at Esperance because he signed a contract that had no performance incentives (as in a bonus for a certain number of goals etc.). Most contracts have that nowadays and he was just getting a salary. I’m not one to feel bad for people who get paid to play a sport (I’m just really jealous of them) but I applaud his honesty. It’s worth noting he didn’t volunteer this information, the interviewer had to ask a lot of prodding questions to get him to the point of even touching on his financial situation.

That’s all a thing of the past now though as he’s got a new club, a new country & culture, and a new wife (much to the dismay of many of his female admirers in Tunisia). Apparently there’s already some buzz about him amongst the Partizan faithful who are just as attentive to soccer highlights as I am. Below is a video with all of his goals when he was at Esperance. In the comments section of this particular video it’s almost exclusively well wishing Partizan supporters welcoming him. Someone even went as far as to upload his CV (who knew he liked Sudoku?).

If he scores goals like the ones we see in the video, it’ll take no time for them to adopt him as one of their own. The club has an absolutely crazy history and one of the biggest rivalries in Europe with Red Star Belgrade. If you don’t believe me, just watch The Balkans edition of The Real Football Factories.

In Other News

Kamel wasn’t the only one getting unveiled today. Majdi Traoui and Anis Boussaidi were also introduced in Austria where they joined their first training session at Red Bull Salzburg. Gotta say it must be nice for Majdi to have Anis, someone who has lived in Europe, by his side when he’s far away from home for the first time. Should make the integration that much smoother. I’m especially interested to see how if Traoui can seal a starting place with a quickness. He has plenty of ability and I think his versatility will make him a valuable asset.

Update

Found the match highlights for the cup Semifinal between Esperance and Gafsa. They’ve been embedded in the previous post.

The goal had an unshackling effect on the proceedings and things got well and truly under way thereafter. Esperance fans, who were there in large numbers, continued their vocal support despite being down and their team responded in the 34th minute when Eneramo used his physical strength to maneuver himself into a shooting position and beat the Gafsa keeper far post with a left footed strike from a very tight angle.

Seven minutes later Eneramo got the chance to double his tally from the penalty spot after Maameri clumsily pulled down Chemmam in the box. The Nigerian calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net and EST held onto the lead till the end of the half.

The second half was largely in favor of the underdogs but their finishing left a lot to be desired. Esperance was conserving the lead rather well and ended up scoring against the run of play when Boughanmi, the Gafsa goalkeeper, came off his line for a clearance but ended up getting lobbed by Henri Bienvenue for what looked to be the knockout punch.

Given the way the match had played out to that point, a 3-1 win for EST would have flattered the team from the capital. They weren’t two goals better than Gafsa yesterday and Gafsa got their just due when Patrick Kazadi found space from himself inside the box and fired a tame yet well placed shot past Kasraoui in the 87th minute. Following some tense moments for the visitors, the final whistle blew and EST rejoiced.

It wasn’t a dominating performance but Esperance managed to hold on and won’t care how the win looked. Now they embark on a month that will see them face old rivals Etoile three times. Their first meeting will be on July 5th for the final of the Tunisian Cup and then they will switch gears and meet twice more in a continental competition (the 12th or 13th of July for the first fixture in Sousse and the 25th or the 26th of July for the return leg in Rades).

Things Worth Mentioning

- In the 26th minute, Club Africain bound Hammouda Maameri was taken down in the box by Mouine Chaabani. It was a legitimate call for a penalty but it was not granted as the linesman judged Hammouda was offside when he received the ball. Replays show this was not the case. These offside decisions have been going the way of the big clubs so far. Let’s hope the final isn’t littered with any mistakes of this kind.

- Henri Bienvenue finally starts earning his paycheck: The Cameroonian was on fire for CAB at the beginning of the year and his goalscoring ability saw him earn a midseason transfer to Esperance. As soon as he put on the red and gold his form dipped dramatically. There was a lot of pressure on him, and there probably still is, but maybe this goal is the one that makes him feel more “Bienvenue” at Taraji.

- If Papa Georges and Patrick Kazadi keep playing like they played yesterday I won’t be surprised to see them move to a bigger club. They both shined and nearly managed to lift their team a historic appearance in the final.

- In the preview I had said Gafsa got relegated this year, I’ve since corrected that as its not the case at all. I was thinking of Gabes when I wrote that. Gafsa finished in 6th place last year. Do forgive me for the mix up.

- Etoile better pay close attention to Eneramo. He outmuscled the Gafsa backline on more than one occasion. I still have that goal he scored earlier in the competition against Club Africain in the back of my mind. Yesterday is just another reminder that you can’t give him daylight.

- Both semifinals were played in good atmospheres with a great deal of fair play. Even though there was a place in the final at stake, the players have exhibited model behavior. Lots of high fives, help ups, and pats on the back going round. Thats what we like to see and may it continue!

Pictures: Here and here. I’m still looking for video highlights. If you come across them please post the link in the comments and I’ll embed them.

Video Update

In Other News

Various Turkish sports sites are reporting Mouine Chaabani of Esperance has signed for Ankaragücü. Can’t say I know anything at all about this team but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on the way out. If you had to pick one place Esperance has looked the weakest it is at the back (followed closely by the inconsistent Kasraoui). When Khaled Badra can’t even help you out much, you know you got problems! Chaabani has been heckled by Taraji fans because he’s so mistake prone. If this turns out to be a real transaction, I don’t know who they’re going to incorporate into his place. Even though he hasn’t been incredible, he must be one of their best options because he’s been a starter at that position for a while now. We’ll know if this is confirmed sooner or later.

Meanwhile, a bad start for the Junior National Team today who lost to Mali 1-0 in Sousse. Very dissapointing to lose at home especially if you consider this is one of our most talented generations. I wonder if it has to do with the coach, Mondher Kebaier, who hasn’t been getting any results for us lately! This makes the return leg in Bamako on the 14th of July a tricky affair! Both teams are trying to qualify for next years CAN in Equitorial Guinea.

The Sahlis were favorites coming into this match but you wouldn’t have guessed it if you watched the first half. Stade Tunisien players were intent on causing an upset and their determination should have borne fruit right before the stroke of halftime when Souheil Berradhia, who had a mediocre game by his lofty standards, controlled the ball with his chest in the penalty area and was unaware that there was an ST player right behind him.

The onrushing Jedidi, anticipated the move beautifully and crashed the ball home into Balbouli’s goal. Unfortunately for the striker, the referee (whose last name is also Jedidi coincidentally) waved it off for an inexistent offsides. With that decision, the two teams went to the dressing rooms tied at 0-0.

The second half wasn’t of the highest footballistic quality but it turned out to be a thrilling finish nevertheless. Gilson Silva noticed the ST goalkeeper, Naouali, off his line and opened the scoring for Etoile in the 75th minute with a fantastic open footed snipe from about 40 yards out. The Cape Verdian pointed straight to new head coach Michel Decastel and ran to give him a big hug before being mobbed by teammates. After withstanding so much Stadiste pressure you might have thought that the Bardo boys were ready to quit. How wrong you would have been!

Just five minutes after Etoile had finished celebrating the score was 1-1. Felhi cleared a ball from Etoile’s penalty box with his head but it fell perfectly to Hamdi Mabrouk who lashed an unforgiving volley from right outside the area. Selliti could have put ST into the lead on a great individual move where he fooled three Etoile defenders. His shot, which looked to be going in, ended up hitting one of his strike partners instead of the back of the net.

Into extra time and Etoile once again took the lead. This time from the one and only Amine Chermiti, who had been having a relatively quiet game. There was nothing quiet about his goal though. I’ve only seen him take one free kick previously: It was near the end of the season and he scored on that attempt too. After watching him put one past Naouali today, I’m starting to wonder why he doesn’t shoot more of them! It’s a facet of his game I didn’t really know existed but he sure knows how to whip that ball with his left foot. He went crazy in classic Chermiti style and celebrated with gusto.

This time it only took ST three minutes to bring the score level with Selliti showing his predatory instincts and following up a parried shot by Balbouli. The penalties, which felt like a real marathon, went like this:

Ben Nasr scores, Mhadhebi misses/ Sassi misses, Hamed scores/ Falhi scores, Korbi scores/Jemal scores, H.Zaalani scores/ Narry scores, Selliti scores/ Nafkha scores, Mabrouk scores/ Chermiti scores, Zairi misses.

Congratulations to Etoile on this win. It should go a long way towards washing away the bitter taste of the previous season. Michel Decastel admitted they were a little lucky but as he said, you need some fortune to win these games!

I’d be amiss if I didn’t say congratulations to Stade Tunisien for the heart they displayed. They could have thrown in the towel when a legitimate goal was wiped away in the first half but they kept fighting and showed character by tying the score on two occasions. Some might argue they deserved the win more today but we all know soccer isn’t about what you deserve, it’s about what you forcefully take and Etoile was more realistic today.

Things Worth Mentioning

- Robertinho has done great work at ST and his departure will be a great loss to Tunisian soccer. However, it has to be said that he made some tactical mistakes in this match that might have cost his team a place in the final. Firstly he subbed out Jedidi, who was arguably the best player on the field, in the 82nd minute for Mhadhebi who has been lacking competition. Jedidi was visibly distraught when he ran off the field and into the dressing room (he later came back and said he respected the decision, not so sure if he does really though).

Mhadhebi’s lack of confidence and concentration showed when he missed the first penalty. He approached it so nonchallantly and didn’t strike the ball with much conviction. The first penalty kick is so important and he blew it. It reminded me of the penalty kick he wasted against Argentina in the Confederation Cup when he had a chance to put us up 1-0. I’ll never forget that. Secondly Robertinho failed to put in his penalty kick stopper for the ineffective Naouali. The young ST keeper was ready to go in and do what he’s paid to do but Robertinho decided at the last moment not to send him in. In retrospect, that wasn’t such a good decision.

- Mossab Sassi is young but he’s got some guts. He didn’t hesitate when he was called upon to shoot a penalty. He struck it well but it crashed against the crossbar. I have to say I really didn’t want to see Etoile lose after that because it would have been unfair on the youngster. He didn’t deserve to have that guilt and luckily for him, Chermiti came through in the clutch. It looked as if Amine really didn’t want to kick the penalty at all. He wasn’t one of the first five selected and when his turn came he looked quite nervous. I guess looks are deceiving though because he sent the keeper the wrong way with a textbook “contre pied” and put his team ahead.

-Why don’t the ST fans come out in those numbers to represent their team in the domestic league? I know their results haven’t been all that over the years but this year they did really well and some days there was barely a soul in El Menzah to suppor them. Today the fans came out (there were still more Etoile fans there) but they need to start coming for more than just the big games!

-Komoko Toure got skills. He spent part of last season on loan at Zarzis but was in the squad to replace Ogunbyi and he did a bang up job.

-Balbouli keeps showing us why he’s starting for the national team now. He went the right way almost every time during the penalties.

Ziad Jaziri, Saber Ben Frej, and Amir Akrout were present to partake in the festivities. Now Etoile awaits the winner of tomorrows match between Gafsa and Esperance. May it be just as entertaining as todays encounter!

More Pictures: Here and here.

Those Incredible Goals

Stade Tunisien vs. Etoile Sportive du Sahel (Friday at 5:30 PM Tunis Time)

These guys are familiar foes who don’t need much of an introduction. Robertinho nearly took ST to fourth place this year. They were overtaken by US Monastir on the last day but their season was positive nevertheless. The Brazilian seems to have a knack for getting his players to overachieve while playing to their strengths. His accomplishments this year got him a lucrative Saudi contract but you can be sure he’d love to leave with some silverware…

Stade Tunisien happens to be the only team that managed to beat Etoile in the league this year. Too bad they’re coming up against an ESS squad that is more determined than ever after they failed in defending their title and were knocked out of the Champions League. They want to set the record straight and the players will be doubly motivated since Michel Decastel took over the team and won’t allow them to spare any effort.

The Bardo boys better hope that Etoile’s players who just came back from international duty are exhausted. An upset isn’t out of the question but if I were a betting man I’d put my money on the guys from Sousse to win tomorrow. Their fans are expecting a reaction and I think they’ll get it.

Esperance Sportive de Tunis vs. EGS Gafsa (Saturday in Kairouan, match time yet to be determined)

It’s been a depressing time for Gafsa players who were relegated this year. (Gabes was relegated, sorry I got confused) The only one who might not care at the moment is Hammouda Maameri who signed for CA recently. He’s still with the group and will be tied to Gafsa until their time in Cup action ends. That could be as early as Saturday since the team from the South will attempt to make it to the final without some of their best players. Talk about a laundry list of injuries and suspensions: Lotfi Belhaj (suspended), Tarak Salem, Patrick Kazadi, Ramzi Ben Younes. Meanwhile Amir Omrani is with the Junior National team preparing for Sunday’s match against Mali.

Can’t say this is the ideal way to go into a game against an Esperance side aiming to conserve their cup title. The only player they might be missing is Aboucherouane who just returned with a little injury from international duty with Morocco. The team from the capital has been in Ain Draham preparing for a while and you have to believe that they are the favorites coming in. However, Gafsa player have been promised a nice sum of cash if they make it to the final. Nothing like a little green to get the juices going!

Everyone is expecting a ESS vs EST final but in Cup action anything can happen. That’s why they play the games after all…

In Other News

The defensive midfielder Khaled Melliti signed a three year contract with CA today. That might have you doing a double take considering that’s a player going from ESS to CA. The big rivals don’t usually do business together but both teams must see benefits to it or else it wouldn’t be happening. Melliti is looking to get more playing time and regain his confidence after being sidelined by a brutal knee injury.

Former FTF President Hammouda Ben Ammar (a guy who actually knows something about soccer) invited Roger Lemerre and the current bureau members (Tahar Sioud, Mahmoud Hammami, Ridha Kraiem, Hamed Kammoun, Mondher Chaouachi, Mahmoud Bacha and Kamel Ben Amor) to a restaurant for a meal to pay homage to the departing coach. Apparently Lemerre was so touched at the proceedings that he had tears streaming down his face as he proclaimed himself to feel Tunisian and said that he would never forget the beautiful time he spent in our country. Awww, don’t worry Lemerre, Morocco is nice too!

Post Update: I updated the Coelho Press Conference post with a video of the proceedings. Theres footage of Coelho speaking and then a whole bunch of Tunisian journalists and managers offering their opinion about why a Tunisian coach wasn’t. I think it’s time to get over it people… We have a coach now, let’s try to help him out as best we can!

- The Tunisian League restarts on August 10, 2008. We’ll get into the buildup and talking points as that date approaches. Lots of storylines to follow, let’s hope the season is as exciting as the last one.

- Friendly on the menu: Our Carthage Eagles will play a friendly on August 20, 2008 against either Cape Verdes, Guinea, or Angola. I’d prefer one of the last two since this match will serve as preparation for our crucial qualifier against Burkina Faso in September. We want to go up against stiff competition to know where we are at. No disrespect to Cape Verdes because they have been improving a lot over the years. No word on where the friendly will take place but I’m guessing somewhere in Tunisia as this will be Humberto Coelho’s highly anticipated first match in charge of the Tunisian National team. Then again, it could be beneficial to have it away since we’re preparing for an away match…

- In case you forgot: Tunisia vs. France on October 14 in Paris. Need I say more? According to this there might be an unconfirmed return fixture for sometime in November 2009.

- Coelho’s Assistant: The National Team assistant coach will be named by Coelho on July 3rd. According to infofoot it’s between Habib Mejri and Skander Kasri. One gets the NT job and the other is likely to be handed the reigns of the Olympic squad.

- CA vs. Zamalek on July 6th, 2008: Club Africain was trying to get a friendly set up with Marseille or Lyon on this date but both teams have packed preseason schedules and could not make the trip to Tunis. Booking a match with cup winners Zamalek of Egypt isn’t a bad thing to fall back on by any means. They will be preparing for Champions League while Club Africain is readying itself for their CAF confrontation with Djoliba of Mali on July 12th.

- Tunisan Cup Semifinals: I’ll do my best to get previews up for this but just so you know the games on the menu are ST versus ESS on friday at 5:30 Tunis Time (Rades) and Gafsa versus EST on Saturday. The time for the second match is yet to be determined and the venue switched from Kasserine to Kairouan. These guys need to get better at programming this kind stuff! It’s funny we have one of, if not the, best run leagues in Africa. It makes you seriously wonder about how bad the planning is in other countries. The final will take place on July 5th.

-The Eaglets Upcoming Challenges: The U-17 Team will be in Cote d’Ivoire along with Gabon and Ghana from the 5th to the 13th of July for a tournament that serves as preparation for the qualification match we have against Burkina Faso. Meanwhile the Junior national team will play Mali next Sunday (Sousse) in the home fixture of their series with them to attempt to qualify for the Junior African Cup in Equatorial Guinea.

- Radhi Jaidi is playing in Jay Jay Okocha’s testimonial match tomorrow in honor of the Nigerian legend. The two became friends at their time at Bolton Wanderers. Best of luck to Jay Jay in his life post football.