Esperance President Hamdy Meddeb backs coach Mouine Chaabani after poor outing

Esperance President Hamdy Meddeb has assured that coach Mouine Chaabani will not be fired following a poor outing at the Fifa Club World Cup.

The Tunisians opened their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to hosts Al Ain, before a penalty shootout victory over Concacaf champions Chivas Guadalajara after a 1-1 regulation time to draw with the Mexican side.

Esperance was out to become the first African side to win the Club World Cup but faltered and coach Chaabani has received the backing of his club bosses.

“We have to learn how to mentally prepare for such occasions, in our first defeat against Al Ain we were hit hard by the difficult beginning,” Meddeb told BBC Sport.

“Mouine Chaabani will remain the coach of Esperance I believe he has the potential to become a great coach.”

The win over the Mexican side saw Esperance finishing fifth at the tournament. After rapping his players following the defeat to Al Ain in their opening match, Chaabani backed down from the livid mood after the win over Guadalajara.

The 37-year-old coach conceded that they were found short at the world stage and drew some vital lessons from the outing.

“We leave this tournament with many lessons to learn,” said Chaabani.

The Tunisian giants will begin their Caf Champions League title defense straight from the group stages.