The Tunisia national football team's camp has experienced unpleasant surprises just days before the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, which is being held in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6 of this year. The first-choice forward for the Carthage Eagles and top scorer of the recent Arab Cup in Qatar, Seifeddine Jaziri, tested positive for COVID-19, marking another severe blow in a series of unexpected developments within the Tunisian camp. This situation started a week ago with the announcement of defender Wajdi Ksharida's COVID-19 infection and his exclusion from the final list of players. Then, the team's captain and star player, Youssef Msakni, who plays for Al-Arabi in Qatar, also contracted COVID-19, requiring his isolation and medical monitoring.
The Tunisian Football Federation confirmed that the COVID-19 tests conducted on Seifeddine Jaziri returned positive, leading to his isolation from the group and mandatory quarantine while awaiting further tests that will determine his final status. The federation stated in an official release that the rules of the Africa Cup of Nations do not allow for the replacement of players currently infected with COVID-19, noting that the registration process closed on December 30, 2021. Additionally, the regulations do not include the possibility of replacing a player due to COVID-19 injury, despite allowing teams to register 28 players instead of 23.
Earlier, the federation announced that captain Youssef Msakni tested positive for the virus last Sunday.
### A Stream of Injuries
According to spokesman Qais Rakkaaz, the tests conducted on Youssef Msakni in Qatar confirmed his infection, after he had participated in an official match with his team on December 30, 2021, in the local league. The stream of injuries did not stop there, as midfielder Firas Belarabi, who plays for Ajman in the UAE, suffered a serious injury while playing against Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai in the UAE league, forcing him off the field. A source within the national teams committee of the Tunisian Football Federation revealed that Belarabi is suffering from a serious injury that will keep him out of the pitch for an extended period, meaning he will not be part of the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
In response, Carthage Eagles coach Mondher Kaber decided to call up Issam Jabali, a striker from Danish club Odense, to replace Firas Belarabi, as African football regulations allow for a replacement of an injured player before the tournament starts, provided that a medical report demonstrating the degree of injury is submitted.
With Belarabi’s absence from the tournament, the number of players that Tunisia has lost just days before the competition increased to five. In addition to Belarabi, defender Mohamed Drager is still out of the Eagles’ training due to a muscle injury that will prevent him from participating in Tunisia's first match against Mali. It is worth noting that Tunisia lost one of its key defenders, Yassine Meriah of Al Ain in the UAE, who suffered a serious knee injury during the Arab Cup 2021, requiring a recovery period of at least six months. Along with Belarabi and Drager, the team also lost Youssef Msakni, Wajdi Ksharida, and Seifeddine Jaziri, who are all COVID-19 positive.
### Obstacles and Training in Darkness
The preparations for the Tunisian team, which will open its continental participation on January 12 against Mali, are facing multiple obstacles and massive chaos, sparking widespread controversy in football and media circles. On Sunday evening, players had to halt their evening training session at the Olympic Stadium in Rades, south of the Tunisian capital, due to a sudden power outage just minutes after the session began. Players and coaching staff returned to their accommodation, while the football federation released a statement indicating that everyone was surprised by the outage without a clear explanation. There were conflicting reports suggesting an electrical short circuit caused the blackout.
Consequently, the Tunisian national team continued their training in a stadium located in the city of Marsa (15 kilometers north of the capital) before traveling to Cameroon on Thursday, where the Carthage Eagles are expected to play only one friendly match against Sierra Leone on January 7 in Limbe, where the Tunisian delegation will be stationed during the tournament.
In addition, it was raised mid-week that the football federation had not received the necessary training equipment and official jerseys for the players. Media sources revealed that the Tunisia team's supplies and jerseys were seized by customs authorities at Carthage Airport due to the Ministry of Sports failing to pay the required duties on the imported goods. Additionally, those sources stated that the company producing the official jerseys threatened to terminate its contract with the football federation if matches during the tournament were played in jerseys that did not carry the official branding.
