Moein Al-Shaabani’s Return to Esperance: Breaking the Jinx of the Second Experience

Moein Al-Shaabani began training the Tunisian Esperance, in a second experience for the young coach, after he led him on a first occasion, starting from the end of 2018 until the end of the 2020-2021 season, during which he led the team to crowning the CAF Champions League title twice, in addition to winning the Tunisian League in a number of of occasions.

Al-Shaabani joined a list of coaches who were fortunate to train Esperance on more than one occasion, but they failed to win the challenge during the second trip, due to the failure to win the CAF Champions League, and for this reason, Al-Shaabani will be required to end the knot of this competition for his return to be successful.

Maaloul and Bizerte are among the most prominent names

Nabil Maaloul and Faouzi Benzarti enjoyed many opportunities to coach Esperance, where the first experience was better, especially for Nabil Maaloul, who led the team to win the Champions League in 2011, after Esperance had waited for this title since 1994, but Maaloul, who returned to lead Esperance in mid-2012 He failed in the Champions League final and left Esperance, before returning at the end of last season, once again winning the local league and failing in the Champions League, leaving the team.

As for Fawzi Benzrati, he coached Esperance more than once, and his experience was in 1994, the best when he was crowned the Champions League, but he failed in the task later, as he lost the 2010 final against Congolese Mazembe, and returned in 2017, but the failure in the Champions League led him to leave.

The Tunisian, Khaled bin Yahya, trained Esperance on many occasions, but he was not successful in the Champions League, although he shines in the Tunisian League and reaps crowns every time, as well as his compatriot Youssef Al-Zawawi and Swiss Michel de Castile, all of whom did not crown the Champions League, as Esperance won four. Titles led by Benzarti in 1994, Maaloul in 2011 and Chaabani in 2018 and 2019.

The password in the Champions League

Al-Shaabani is waiting for a number of challenges with Esperance, starting with improving the team’s ranking in the coronation stage, since it fell to fourth place and fears that he will fail to qualify for the Champions League next season, and he will also try to win the Tunisian Cup, as he will play the final on Sunday against Olympic Beji. The team will compete in the Arab Championship next summer.

And the most important thing will be the next version of the Champions League, which has become the password for the continuation of the Esperance coaches, as Al-Ahly of Egypt played an important role in dismissing many coaches, such as Nabil Maaloul, who left twice after failing against Al-Ahly, as well as Fawzi Al-Banzarti, who failed to overtake Al-Ahly in 2017 or Moein. Al-Shaabani himself, who failed to lead Esperance to the final in 2021 after losing to Al-Ahly as well.