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Tarak Dhiab: National Hero, National Controversy

July 14th, 2008 | By: Rami | 20 Comments »

If you are Tunisian, Tarak Dhiab needs no introduction. However, some readers might not be familiar with a man that is literally a living legend in our country. He was a one of a kind player who plied his trade in midfield for Ariana before moving to Esperance. It is there that he would go on to carve his name in the “Blood and Gold” of the famous club.

In a sense, he was a player before his time. A modern footballer who awed onlookers with his elegance and vision. His passing skills were perhaps his strongest attribute but what made him special was his ability to use both feet while dribbling and striking the ball. This made him a consistent threat at all times. You were always at his mercy. He could dribble past you just as easily as he could find a teammate in space. Add to that an ability to finish from close or long range and you start to see why they called him “the Emperor.” Think Zidane but faster and with an afro (it was the 70’s afterall!) Dhiab was once described by a teammate as the “the type of player who gives you the ball in a way that you have no choice but to score.”

Career Highlights

At the 4:46 Mark there’s a goal on Morocco’s famous Badou Zaki. It is one of rare quality. As the announcer says “bountou mathamash.” I love this vintage footage. Wish he was still on the team!

Tarek dhiabTV7
Uploaded by talelza

At the young age of 23, Dhiab managed to do something that no Tunisian has repeated since: He won the African Ball D’or in 1977. The fact that this feat has yet to be reproduced gives a hint to his unique standing in our football lore. Not only that but he helped us qualify for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina where he orchestrated our proudest soccer moment on the world stage: In our first game against Mexico we went down 1-0 in the first half but came back in the second to win 3-1. The chants of “Tunez! Tunez! Tunez!” rang out in the stadium. Tunisia was the first African team to ever win a game at the World Cup.

Sadly we were edged out by Poland and West Germany later and didn’t make the second round but our brilliant performances were one of the main reasons FIFA decided to give an extra place to African Teams in following World Cups (before that there was only one representative).

These accomplishments have garnered him an immense amount of respect from the Tunisian populace who consider him a national hero. Interestingly, his appeal doesn’t only come from his actions on the field but also from his attitude off of it. In a country where an opinion can land you in jail, Tarak was never one to bite his tongue. When Tunisia started to see the effects of hooliganism and fan violence Dhiab didn’t content himself with just denouncing the phenomenon. He pointed fingers straight at the Ministry of Sport for it’s passivity in the face of this problem and shamed them in front of the cameras (if you click the previous link you can hear his attack at about the 7:41 minute mark).

Accusing political appointees is practically unheard of in Tunisia. You can’t do it and legitimately believe that there will be no repercussions. He’s never dared go up another level to criticize more politicians but his act of defiance on National television made fans love and respect him even more. He basically said what everyone wanted to but couldn’t. You could argue that only Dhiab could get away with this.

Now there’s another twist to this saga. A few months ago he was welcomed back into the Esperance family as the vice president of the team and the head of football operations. This was a long time coming for Taraji fans who especially wanted him to be involved now more than ever as their storied team was failing to live up to their lofty expectations. However, it is now unclear whether Dhiab will be forced to resign or will be fired after an incident that took place during the trophy ceremony of the Tunisian Cup Final.

Esperance won the title and their players filed into the customary line to get their medals. It’s called the Presidents Cup but this year he was not present. Instead there was the Prime Minister there in his place who had the Minister of Sport (Abdallah Kaabi) right next to him.

Dhiab followed the players up and shook hands with the Prime minister but completely ignored Kaabi who was visibly insulted. Now if you watch the video below you can see that Kaabi himself doesn’t put his hand out.

It’s as if he was waiting to see if Dhiab, who had previously criticized him for his incompetence, was going to politely shake his hand. Instead Tarak slid past him as swiftly as he would have slid past a defender in his playing days. A moment that plenty of people didn’t fail to notice and one that now could cost the legend his job.

Tarak Pulls a Fast One on Kaabi

Coupe_Tunisie_2008-EST-2-1_ESS_Tatwij
Uploaded by mehdinio99

Now there’s conflicting reports saying that Dhiab has resigned, fired, or is staying put. Another one says he was stopped and taken to the police department because of a “traffic violation.” That same rumor says he’s since been released so don’t order your “Free Dhiab” t-shirts quite yet but this shows that politics and football can be a volatile combination. Not only that but Slim Chiboub, former president of Esperance and an influential figure behind the scenes, has been blocking his attempts to succeed as a team director in his post playing career.

The rumor mill is spinning out of control but Dhiab’s place in our history is cemented in place and nothing could ever change that. Not only was he a fantastic player, but he is also offers very good analysis to Aljazeera Sport when he is in their studio and was doing an admirable job at Esperance in his short time at the head of Football operations for the senior side. A man of convictions who does not apologize for his opinions and one in the distinct position to be able to voice them in a climate that does not encourage such openness.

What do you think of this? Was this the wrong setting for Dhiab to make a point? Did he do more harm than good? Do you applaud his actions or frown upon them?

Tags: Abdallah Kaabi, Esperance Sportive de Tunis, EST, Group H, Hamdi Meddeb, Slim Chiboub, Tarak Dhiab, Tunisia 1978, Tunisian Football, Tunisian Soccer

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Comments

By Abdullah | July 14th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

Yes i applaud him! a country claiming its democratic needs someone like dhiab to criticize their wrongdoings, because as we all know people who stand up for their rights get thrown in to prison, beat up or worse.

It takes some serious cojones, but i respect him for that, and all that which he brought to tunisian football.

Posted from Netherlands

By Momo | July 14th, 2008 at 10:08 pm

Wow! What a seller this could be! Only if it was in America though..It will probably remain buried underground in Tunisia since the Secretary of Sports is involved. I don’t understand why we still have a Department of Sports when FIFA clearly states that sports should be a separate entity from politics, when are these morons gonna get it??..Anyways, I really think that Tarak did not do that for no reason. I am certain something went on between him and Kaabi besides what we saw Tarak said on telly. If the two guyes are not talking to each other already then I don’t see why Tarak or the Secretary should shake each other’s hand, and no one will have the right to blame either party for what happened if that’s the case. But still it is a bit obscure WHY this happened. My question is: If Tarak wants to remain loyal to the frankness and bluntness he is famous for, then he should , actually I demand that he comes out and tell everyone exactly what he did and why he did it? I believe Tarak is brave enough to do anything, and this should not be a problem for him, well perhaps not..I mean it is Tunisia guyes, we know what happens when you cross the line..we’ll see..

By Fahd | July 15th, 2008 at 3:59 am

RAmi

First my respect again to your reporting, you are a man of your word!!!

Could this be the beginning of real criticism to improve the ways things go in our beloved Tunisia?? Is this going to open the eyes and MOUTHS of the Tunisians to get rid of these incompetent people who are trying to create chaos in our country.
Again it seems that the only way to have your say is through sports. Let’s hope he will not be involved in a lethal car accident ( this is not new as this happened several times with Tunisian key figures in the past.

We all know the influence of Slim Chiboub (Son in Law of President Ben Ali). He has a lot of power and this is becoming more and more clear. Just one thing if Tunisia allowed people like Tarek Dhiba and others take there responsibility as they should, then we would have been the dominating country in football in Africa for decades especially knowing we have the resources.

Anyway please let keep on discussing these topics and try to work and contribute to it’s solution at least with words.

Rabbi Yihdie eljamie3!!

By Tamim | July 15th, 2008 at 4:59 am

i love this guy from his analysis in aljazeera sport, and now after i read ur post i love him more.

BTW, i thought taraji is “blood and fire”!!!!!!

By Fahd | July 15th, 2008 at 5:35 am

Tamim

Tarajji is Blood and Gold, which I find a very strange combination!!

regards,

By Rami | July 15th, 2008 at 7:18 am

The official letter citing his “removal” on the Esperance website has been ironically “removed” and their forum isn’t allowing anyone to talk about it. Mosaique FM is reporting that he was in fact released by the club. All over a handshake! This isn’t just a loss for Esperance but for the entire country.

In an arabic interview posted on the Tunisie Foot forum he said he didn’t shake the minister’s hand because the guy wasn’t even looking at him. That he was pretending he wasn’t even there…

Tarak spoke the truth. He didn’t just criticize the ministry of sport but also laid blame at the feet of the FTF. It’s sad that it has come to this because he is one of the few that actually has the know how and intelligence to change our game for the better.

http://www.mosaiquefm.net/index/a/ActuDetail/Element/4506-Tarek-Dhiab-d%C3%A9mis-de-ses-fonctions.html

طارق ذياب في حديث خاص للشعب الالكترونية : استقالتي وهمية والترجي أكبر من كل الذين يسعون لاسقاطه وهذه حكايتي مع وزير الرياضة

في حديث تنفرد الشعب الالكترونية في نشره على موقعها قال طارق ذياب صبيحة اليوم الاثنين 14 جويلية 2008 ان من تحدثوا عن الاستقالة هم أولئك الذين يسعون لتدمير قلعة ضخمة في تاريخ الرياضة التونسية بما ان الترجي الرياضي التونسي يستعد في شهر جانفي 2009 على الاحتفال بمرور 90 سنة على تأسيسه وهو أكبر من كل الخلافات والمساعي لاسقاطه في دوامة الأزمة المفتعلة طارق ذياب فتح لنا باب مكتبه بحديقة الرياضة “ب” لتكون كل هذه التفاصيل :

عودة غير منتظرة للترجي ومسؤولية أولى في موقع هام أليس هذا غريبا في بعض تفاصيله ؟

علاقتي متميزة جدا برئيس الترجي الرياضي حمدي المدب بما أننا كنا لعبنا مع بعضنا وحين عرض علي فكرة تحمل المسؤولية معه في صلب الترجي قبلت المهمة دون بحث في التفاصيل وهو ما اعتبره بعضهم بالمفاجأة والحال انني ابن الدار .

ما هي المهمة التي كلفك بها حمدي المدب في الترجي ؟

نائب رئيس مكلف بفرع أكابر كرة القدم

لكن الذي نعرفه ان طارق بن يحمد هو نائب رئيس الترجي ؟

هذا فعلا ما هو موجود زائد تواجد 5 نواب آخرين في صلب الترجي لكل منهم مسؤوليته المحددة وأنا حين قبلت تحمل المسؤولية فانني قبلتها لأنني أبن الترجي ولست دخيلا عليه لآخذ مكان غيري .

أخبار الساعات الأخيرة أفادت أنك قدمت استقالتك ما نصيب الحقيقة من الاشاعة ؟

لم يحصل ان قدمت استقالتي لرئيس الترجي ولم يحصل أنني فكرت في الذهاب وها أنك وجدتني في مكتبي في اجتماع خاص مع لجنة الانتدابات وهي التي تضم عبد الكريم بوشوشة وعبد المجيد القوبنطيني ولسعد ذياب وصلاح قلنزة وسمير شمام الحقيقة انني فوجئت بصدور خبر في صحيفة يومية لا أدري حقيقة من أين أتت به .

يقولون ان عدم مصافحتك لوزير الرياضة عبد الله الكعبي في نهائي الكأس هو السبب الرئيسي لاقالتك من مهامك ؟

حين صعدت الى المنصة الشرفية كان في الحسبان ان أصافح الجميع وقد صافحت حقيقة السيد محمد الغنوشي الوزير الاول وحين هممت بمصافحة وزير الرياضة وجدته غير مبال بالنظر لي فكان ان حصل أنني لم أصافحه أخلاقيا ما كان للعملية ان تحصل لكن الذي حصل بالنهاية حصل .

قد يقول قائل لماذا حصلت الحادثة أصلا ؟

هذا سؤال مهم وتاريخي لأن أبناء البلدي ما كان ليحصل بينهم ما حصل بيني وبين وزير الرياضة لأننا نستمد مبادئنا من كلام سيادة الرئيس زين العابدين بن علي الذي يؤكد على أهمية الحوار وعدم الظلم والمحافظة على المكاسب فأنا لعبت للترجي لمدة 20 سنة كما تقمصت زي المنتخب في أكثر من محفل دولي فهل يمكن اليوم ان يشكك بعضهم في وطنيتي وفي حبي لتونس ما حصل يومها موجع لكنني أعود لأقول أنني أفضل الكرامة على الانبطاح والمجاملة وسي عبد الله مس يومها من كرامتي لذلك لم أصافحه .

بعضهم يقول ان تلك الحادثة قد تجعل حمدي المدب يتراجع في قرار الابقاء عليك في خطتك الحالية ؟

شكرا لهم ان حاولوا مرة أخرى ابعادي عن الترجي وانا مستعد للذهاب دون ضغط على حمدي المدب لأن الترجي هو الأبقى بالنهاية وطارق ذياب أو حمدي المدب أو غيرهما ذاهبون في حال سبيلهم .

نعود لنسأل هل قدمت فعلا استقالتك ؟

أنا آخر من يعلم بها والأكيد أن من نشر الخبر يريدني ان أذهب والحال أنه كان عليه ان يسأل صاحب القرار ولا من يسعون لابعاد ي عن الترجي بكل الأساليب .

وحتى نلتقي

شكرا لكل من فرح لعودتي لحضيرة الترجي وشكرا كذلك لكل الذين أخطأنا في حقهم وسامحون لأن الترجي أكبر من كل الخلافات وأكبر من كل الحسابات لذلك أعود لأقول اتقو ا الله في الترجي .

* أجرى الحوار : رمزي الجباري

By Yassine | July 15th, 2008 at 9:23 am

Hey Rami. Good job I didn’t know about this.
Tarek Dhiab should have been in charge of our football long time ago. He has not only the technical and ‘footballistic’ knowledge but he is also very smart and educated. I think that no Tunisian player is or was able to match him except for Yassine Chikhaoui, who has the nearly same profile as Tarek I think.
In Tunisia it’s impossible to voice your opinion over something that ‘Eddawla’ wants to keep secret, and even if you do it you end up in jail. So I applaud what Dhiab did and I respect him for that.

By Fahd | July 15th, 2008 at 9:41 am

Just for info this tournament in Casablance. Elnejm participates with a team that consists out of the new signings!! All matches can bee seen at Alriadhia on hotbird::

Morocco Summer Cup draws international, local teams

2008-07-11

Maghreb and European soccer teams will gather July 15th in Casablanca and El Jadida for the 10-day Morocco Summer Cup, Aujourd’hui reported on Friday (July 11th). Tournament participants include Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia), Charleroi (Belgium), Pacos de Ferreira (Portugal), FC Nantes (France), Udinese (Italy), Atletic Bilbao (Spain) and local teams FAR Rabat and Moghreb Fes.

By Fahd | July 15th, 2008 at 9:43 am

FAR de Rabat (Maroc)
- Maghreb de Fès (Maroc)
- ESS(Tunisia)
- Paços de Ferreira (Portugal)
- FC Nantes (France)
- Charleroi SC (Belgique)
- Udinese (Italie)
- Athlétic Bilbao (Espagne)

Voici le programme complet :

Mardi 15 Juillet 2008:
18h15: Match 1
Magreb de Fès – ESS

21h00: Match 2
AS FAR – Charleroi SC

Jeudi 17 Juillet 2008:
18h15: Match 3
Paços de Ferreira – Vainqueur Match 1

21h00: Match 4
FC Nantes – Vainqueur Match 2

Dimanche 20 Juillet 2008:
18h15: Match 5 (Pour la 7ème et 8ème place)
Perdant Match 1 – Perdant Match 2

21h00: Match 6 (Pour la 5ème et 6ème place)
Perdant Match 3 – Perdant Match 4

Mardi 22 Juillet 2008: (Demi-finales)
18h15: Match 7
Athlétic Bilbao – Vainqueur Match 3

21h00: Match 8
Udinese – Vainqueur Match 4

Vendredi 25 Juillet 2008:
18h15: Match 9 (Pour la 3ème et 4ème place)
Perdant Match 7 – Perdant Match 8

21h00: Match 10 (Finale)
Vainqueur Match 7 – Vainqueur Match 8

Live on Arriadia TV.

By Fahd | July 15th, 2008 at 9:45 am

Sorry for the last time this is the website!!

http://www.moroccosummercup.com/

sorry rami for all these messages!!

regards,

By Rachid | July 15th, 2008 at 9:47 am

Guys, I beg to differ on this issue. On the surface, it looks like a heroic thing to do, but really, it does not amount to much, in my opinion. If Tarek has some issues or differences with the minister, then he should have come out and boldly voiced them. But, showing disrespect to the minister in that public forum ain’t the rational way to make your point. It’s not about who the minister is, but it’s the institution. Sure, there are some problems, but we have to keep things in perspective. If you think Tunisia is bad, it’s a lot worse in other places! Unfortunately, I missed this episode because I chose not to watch Esperance celebrate a Cup that they stole from Etoile by playing politices (through the involvement of some of the questionable figures you guys mention, especially SC!).

Posted from United States

By Abdullah | July 15th, 2008 at 10:58 am

What do you guys think the match will be like against Magreb de fes?
I have no idea what to expect, anyone who knows something about this club from morocco?

Posted from Netherlands

By Skander | July 15th, 2008 at 2:07 pm

Off topic guys…
Did anyone see the exhibition match in Allianz-Arena, Germany. The match supposed to gain money for more education in Africa. ballack, Ze Roberto, edmilson, gattuso, Schumacher the rallyman and many others played in the match including our own Karim Saidi, i was surprised. The match ended up 8-6 hehe

Posted from Sweden

By Abdullah | July 15th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Yes i did see it good match, tough they werent playing as the normally would, but thats without a doubt because each goal supposedly raised a sum of money.

Also i did see saidi, he was brought in later in the match, i really would like to see more of what he can do….he used to play on feyenoord but after that i lost track of him.

Posted from Netherlands

By Rami | July 15th, 2008 at 4:54 pm

No problem on the comments Fahd. They’re always welcome! Off topic, on topic, it doesn’t matter. This isn’t a forum where you need to open a new discussion in a new chat room Thanks for the updates.

I just read on infofoot Etoile beat Fez, 4-3 on penalties after the score had finished tied at 2-2. Well done!

Skander, I didn’t see the match unfortunately. I knew about it though… Sounded cool.

Rachid, that’s why I posed the question in the post. Maybe this was the wrong place to make a point… Then again the minister himself wasn’t even looking at him. I think that no matter what the case he shouldn’t lose his job over this! We want to hold ourselves to high standards but clearly we can’t live up to them with the way things are set up. BTW, I linked the video where Tarak comes out and criticizes the ministry of sports and I think he was well within his rights to do so he did boldly voice his differences. It’s not secret that everyone in the sports world fears him because they know that he’s a guy who actually knows what he’s talking about. They don’t want to let him in for fear that they lose their place. At least that’s what it looks like from the outside.

He might be arrogant at times but given that he seems to be surrounded by incompetence I don’t blame him. Plus he’s earned the right to tell people when they’re wrong. Not saying he’s infallible but as I said in the post, he’s one of, if not THE, best player we ever produced and his technical knowledge is up there with the best in Africa and the Arab world. He could be more diplomatic and tactful but I actually respect him even more than before. Honest to a fault, that’s his only problem.

BTW, bout to post the League calendar for 2008/2009 in a bit. You won’t believe who play each other on the first day

By Skander | July 16th, 2008 at 3:52 am

Is etoile sahel playing with their first team in this morocco summercup?. The starting lineup for the match that were played against Fés was like this:

Abdrahman Baroura 01
Oualid BenManssour 12
Hatem Bjaoui 06
Mejdi Tenich 21
Mohamed Houssam Soulaiman 15
Mohamed Sacko 14
Ahmed Mida 33
Med Seddik Jebnoun 07
Sadat Bukari 03
Tarek Ziadi 09
Majdi Traoui 17

Substitutes:

Imad Jmaâ 16
Iskandar Benaâfia 27
Ouadîe BelHaj Frej 08
Mohamed Amine Haj Said 24
Timbo Fayo 30
Wael Belkhal 18
Touré Camaroko 13

Posted from Sweden

By Skander | July 16th, 2008 at 3:53 am

I don’t think i’ts right at all -.-

Posted from Sweden

By Moni | July 16th, 2008 at 9:29 am

No ESS participated with a B-team of new ESS players.
The A-team is concentrating on CAF CONFEDERATION CUP.

Posted from Netherlands

By Moni | July 16th, 2008 at 9:30 am

Abdullah Karim Saidi is doing fine in Turkey where he plays with Sivaspor.

Posted from Netherlands

By Abdullah | July 16th, 2008 at 11:33 am

Nice to hear, he did play averagely with feyenoord though, thats why he didnt get any playing time the 2nd season.

At least that’s what i read, i hope he is getting more playing time with sivasspor or else it would be a shame for a defender like him to lose his game and not develope because of it.

I’ll be watching him

Posted from Netherlands

Comments are closed