Tunisia's national team coach, Sami Trabelsi, announced the high ambitions of the "Eagles of Carthage" in the Arab Cup football tournament held in Qatar, emphasizing that the team's ultimate goal is "to win the title." These strong statements came ahead of the anticipated opening match against the Syrian national team, which marked the beginning of both teams' journey in Group A of the tournament.
Historical background and project ambition
The Tunisian national team's ambition to win the title stems from a deep historical connection to the tournament; the "Eagles of Carthage" were the first team to win the Arab Cup in its inaugural edition in 1963, held in Lebanon. This historical legacy places a responsibility on the current generation to strive to reclaim the title that has eluded Tunisian football for decades, especially since the 2021 edition was held for the first time under the auspices of FIFA, giving it unprecedented momentum and international significance.
The importance of the tournament and decisive statements
At the pre-match press conference, Trabelsi stated clearly: “Our goal is to compete and win the title.” Speaking about the opening match, he added: “The Syrian national team has a distinguished group of players and is known for its fighting spirit, and we are counting on the support of the Tunisian fans.” The tournament provided an ideal opportunity for Arab teams to test their readiness on World Cup pitches a year before the start of the 2022 World Cup, which intensified the competition and the teams' desire to deliver their best performances.
For his part, Tunisian midfielder Ferjani Sassi reflected the team's confidence and aspirations, saying: “We are determined to have a great tournament and perform at a level that honors Tunisian football. We are confident in the strong support of our fans and look forward to making them happy.” The support of the large Tunisian community in Qatar is a crucial factor the team is counting on to achieve its goals.
The Syrian national team: Youthful ambition and gaining experience
On the other hand, the Syrian national team entered the tournament with high hopes and ambitions to build a team for the future. Their Spanish coach, José Lana, said, “We are in good shape and happy with the positive form of our team.” He emphasized that the tournament represents an excellent opportunity to gain experience against different footballing styles, adding, “We have a good chance to face a new and different opponent. We have a large number of young players, and everyone aspires to represent the national team in the best possible way. We are counting on them because they possess good abilities, and they need to gain more experience.”.
For his part, Syrian national team player, Muhammad Hallaq, acknowledged the difficulty of the task, saying: “Our match against Tunisia is difficult, and the Tunisian national team has been strong recently. We are prepared and ready for the match and the tournament, and God willing, we will deliver a performance that will please the Syrian fans.”.
It is worth noting that the first group included, in addition to Tunisia and Syria, the Qatari national team (the host country) and the Palestinian national team, which made the competition for the two qualifying tickets for the next round strong and open to all possibilities from the beginning.
