World Soccer - UK (2020-03)

there, but Kattou is not sure if there is

the will to take VAR across the continent,

from Zambia to DR Congo and beyond.

At least there is no danger of a

repeat this time around of last year’s

shambolic goings-on in Tunis as CAF

has abandoned home-and-away legs for

a single showpiece Final. As a club with

a big following, Esperance would take

of African football or organisers CAF.
After a 1-1 draw in Morocco, Esperance
were hosting Wydad of Casablanca when
a contentious decision was referred to
the Video Assistant Referee, only to
discover that the machine had not been
plugged in. Claims and counter-claims
followed before Esperance were declared
the winners. Yet rather than eschewing
VAR, Esperance would rather that the
system was introduced for every group-
stage match.
“It would be good as all the clubs
could stop making commentaries and
accept the referee’s decision,” says
Kattou. “But do CAF have the money?
It’s expensive.”
As CAF recently claimed to have
$100million in the bank, the cash is

MONDHER

KEBAIER

Replaced Alain

Giresse in 2019 as

coach of a national

side that remains

tainted by its

association with

dictator Ben Ali.

WADII JARII

President of the

Tunisian federation

since 2012 and

re-elected in 2016.

He is a committee

member within

CAF, where he is

rumoured to be

positioning himself

for a run at the

confederation

presidency.

TAREK DHIAB

One of Tunisia’s

greatest ever

players was sports

minister after the

revolution in 2011,

he was re-appointed

after last year’s

elections, only to

lose the brief when

his party could

not form a

government.

WAHBI KHAZRI

Born in Corsica

and a former

French under-21

international who

made his senior

debut for Tunisia

in 2013 and is now

the joint-fourth

top goalscorer

for the country.

HAMDI MEDDEB

A junior with

Esperance in the

1960s, he left to

build up a dairy

business, Delice,

but returned to

become club

president in 2007.

“It would be good as all the clubs

could stop making commentaries

and accept the referee’s decision.

But do CAF have the money? It’s

expensive”

Kattou on VAR

Pride...secretary

Farouk Kattou in his

club’s trophy room

Movers

& Shakers

The key figures in

Tunisian football