The coach of the Sports Es tunis, Maher Kanzari, received a suspension of four matches and a fine of 7,000 dinars on Friday, September 19, 2025. The decision, rendered by the National Professional Football League (LNFP), follows a blasphemy uttered live by the Esperantist technician, an incident that had triggered a lively controversy.
An expected sanction
According to the LNFP press release, Kanzari is prohibited from bench for the next four games of his team. This sanction occurs three days after its invitation by the disciplinary committee, following a blasphemous remarks captured by the microphones and disseminated during the meeting counting for the 5the Ligue 1 day between ST and East (1-0) on September 13.
The sequence, massively relayed on social networks, had raised the indignation of part of public opinion, considering this slippage as an attack on religious and moral values.
A controversy with wide repercussions
This verbal skid has revived the debate on verbal violence in Tunisian football. Beyond regularly publicized physical violence, insults and invective technical benches have a deleterious climate in stadiums.
Kanzari’s sanction thus appears as a strong disciplinary signal, in a context where the authorities have struggled for several seasons to stem this phenomenon.
Other sanctions pronounced
The same disciplinary session struck Tarek Jarraya, AS Gabès coach, suspended from bench for two matches and sentenced to a fine of 5,000 dinars. Several clubs in Ligue 1 have also received fines, including Es tunis (7,500 dinars), the African club, US Ben Guerdane, Olympique de Béja and the Hope of Zarzis (5000 dinars each). The Sfaxian sports club (3000 dinars), the Tunisian stadium and the Sahel star (2,500 dinars), as well as the US Monastir (1,500 dinars) are also concerned.
This new episode confirms the persistent difficulty of sports bodies to impose respect for ethics and discipline in national competitions. Between verbal overflows, tensions in the stands and physical violence, Tunisian football continues to fight against recurring flaws.
