Here comes Hervé again. Shock World Cup call for Renard to coach Tunisia in turmoil

It seems no World Cup is complete without Hervé Renard and suddenly, somehow, surprisingly he will also be at this one.

The suntanned Frenchman in the trademark open-necked white shirt was hired to coach Tunisia on Tuesday for its final two group games following turmoil.

Tunisia fired coach Sabri Lamouchi early Tuesday after the team was routed 5-1 by Sweden in its opening game on Sunday.

So here comes Hervé for his third straight men’s World Cup with a third different team. In between times, he also took France to the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Renard’s latest reprieve comes just two months after he was fired by Saudi Arabia despite leading the kingdom through a shaky qualifying program, where it was given home advantage through the final rounds.

His finest World Cup hour was guiding the Saudis to a shocking 2-1 win over eventual champion Argentina and Lionel Messi in their 2022 opener in Qatar.

Between men's World Cups, Renard left Saudi Arabia to coach the France women at their World Cup three years ago and then as the home team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Both ended in quarterfinals exits.

His first World Cup was in 2018 with Morocco, which impressed in Russia with the core of a team that would reach the semifinals in Qatar. However, Morocco under Renard did not advance to the knockout stage from a tough group with Spain, Portugal and Iran.

Renard has yet to lead a team out of the World Cup group stage which is now his short-term mission that could be all over within 10 days.

His appeal in an emergency to an African soccer federation like Tunisia — now the sixth to hire him — is that he made history winning Africa Cup of Nations titles with two different teams: Zambia in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015.

Renard has just four days to get his ideas across before Tunisia faces Japan on Saturday in Monterrey, Mexico. Tunisia then plays the group favorite Netherlands in Kansas City on June 25.

It could be another compelling chapter in the colorful career of a coach who first made headlines in the wider soccer world at English lower-tier club Cambridge in 2004.

Back then, Renard was assistant to another well-traveled French coach. Claude de Roy coached Cameroon at the 1998 World Cup six years before arriving at a soccer backwater in the city more famous for its university.

Still dashingly striking at 57, Renard should carry his usual style and glamor at yet another World Cup stage.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Hervé Renard speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Santiago Nuevo Leon, near Monterrey, Mexico, after being named the new coach for Tunisia's World Cup soccer team. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Hervé Renard speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Santiago, near Monterrey, Mexico, after being named the new coach for Tunisia's World Cup soccer team (AP Photo/Sofia Yaker)

Hervé Renard speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Santiago, near Monterrey, Mexico, after being named the new coach for Tunisia's World Cup soccer team (AP Photo/Sofia Yaker)

Hervé Renard speaks during a news conference, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Santiago, near Monterrey, Mexico, after being named the new coach for Tunisia's World Cup soccer team (AP Photo/Sofia Yaker)

Tunisia players react after the World Cup Group F soccer match between Sweden and Tunisia in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Sunday, June 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

FILE - Saudi Arabia's head coach Herve Renard reacts during the World Cup group C soccer match between Argentina and Saudi Arabia in Lusail, Qatar, Nov. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Voters in the San Francisco Bay Area congressional district formerly represented by Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwellcast their ballots Tuesday to determine who will replace him after he resigned from Congress amid allegations of sexual assault.

Polls closed at night for the special primary in the 14th Congressional District, which includes East Bay cities such as Fremont, Hayward and Livermore. It heavily favors Democrats, and Swalwell typically beat Republican challengers by wide vote margins.

If any candidate receives over 50% of the vote, they will win outright and serve out the remainder of Swalwell's term through January. If not, the top two from the field of Democratic and Republican candidates will move on to an Aug. 18 runoff.

Among the 11 names on the ballot were Democrats Aisha Wahab, state senator who focused her campaign message on reducing housing costs, and Melissa Hernandez, a Bay Area Rapid Transit director and former mayor of the East Bay city of Dublin.

The two represent different wings of the party that have been battling in numerous states this primary season.

Wahab, a progressive, has focused on combating high costs by expanding the social safety net and taking aim at “corporate profiteering,” while Hernandez, considered a moderate, pushed a platform of job growth and supporting small businesses.

Republicans in the race included Wendy Huang, a real estate investor, and Dena Maldonado, who runs a small flower business.

Separate from the special election, a regular primary was held June 2 for a full term to the seat beginning in January, with many of the same candidates who are on Tuesday's ballot.

Wahab and Hernandez were the top two vote-getters June 2 and advanced to the general election in November. If one of them comes out on top in the special election, their hope is that serving in the office for a few months this summer and fall could provide a boost in visibility and some job experience they can tout as they campaign for the full term.

Another Democrat who ran in the earlier primary but who failed to crack the top two, attorney and businessperson Rakhi Israni Singh, was also on Tuesday's ballot.

Swalwell held the seat for seven terms before resigning in April — and also dropping out of this year's governor’s race — after the San Francisco Chronicle reported allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including when she worked for him.

CNN later reported that other women accused him of sending inappropriate messages and nude photos.

Swalwell has repeatedly denied the accusations, but he said it would be unfair to his constituents to remain in Congress.

Melissa Hernandez, right, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California's 14th district, talks to campaign volunteers during a canvassing event on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Pleasanton, Calif. (AP Photo/Annie Barker )

D-Calif. State Sen. Aisha Wahab stands with a colleague at the state legislature on Monday, June 15, 2026 in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Annie Barker)

Melissa Hernandez, a Democratic candidate for Congress in California's 14th district, knocks on doors on Sunday, June 14, 2026 in Pleasanton, Calif. (AP Photo/Annie Barker )

D-Calif. State Sen. Aisha Wahab attends the state legislature on Monday, June 15, 2026 in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Annie Barker)