'A great bittnerness': Tunisia left to lament the loss of Ayari to Sweden

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ayari-yasin/vTrnQI0N/"]Ayari[/a] overshadowed his better-known teammates [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/isak-alexander/p41IV42c/"]Alexander Isak[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gyokeres-viktor/zaBZ1xIk/"]Viktor Gyokeres[/a] in the 5-1 win on Sunday and is expected to start against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a] on Saturday.[/p][p]Born in Solna in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a] to a Tunisian father and a Moroccan mother, the 22-year-old is one of a large number of players at this World Cup who could have played for another country.[/p][p]His displays for Swedish club [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aik/lzqk4S68/"]AIK[/a] earned him a move to Premier League side [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brighton/2XrRecc3/"]Brighton[/a] in England in 2023, but he was loaned to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/coventry/GOvB22xg/"]Coventry[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/blackburn/6Nl8nagD/"]Blackburn[/a] before establishing himself at Brighton in the just-completed season.[/p][p]Houssem Haj Ali, a former Tunisian national team player, told AFP the case of Ayari showed the North African nation was letting too much talent slip through its fingers.[/p][p]"[b]Of course, it is a great bitterness... The situation could have been the opposite if Yasin had worn the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tunisia/QqZVYk95/"]Tunisia[/a] jersey,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]Haj Ali called for lessons to be learned. "We must create the conditions that allow players of Tunisian origin to represent their country," he said.[/p][p]"[b]I am not speaking only about the Tunisian federation, but about the system in general.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="4f872fd8-7b99-4d34-bdb1-c41e13f2ed96" url="https://x.com/CIIASportsINT/status/2066442101370311032" social-type="twitter" /][p]In another recent case of a player turning his back on Tunisia, Louey Ben Farhat of German club [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/karlsruher/EB3q7jbk/"]Karlsruhe[/a] was named in the country's World Cup squad but turned down his place.[/p][p]Haj Ali added: "[b]In the same way that we lost Louey Ben Farhat... who declined a national team call-up despite playing two friendly matches against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/haiti/nk4v10Z1/"]Haiti[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a], we also lost Ayari.[/b]"[/p][p]Ayari said he had "[b]an indescribable feeling[/b]" after helping Sweden achieve their best start to a tournament in their 13 World Cup appearances.[/p][p]"[b]I'm used to scoring beautiful goals, but scoring two goals in the same match, especially in my first World Cup appearance against Tunisia, was exceptional for me,[/b]" he told Swedish broadcaster SVT.[/p][p]Ayari admitted though that it had been emotional to score against Tunisia, "[b]the country I feel a strong sense of belonging and emotion for, and which I visit every summer.[/b]"[/p][p]Asked about his father’s feelings after Tunisia's heavy defeat, Yasin replied: "[b]He is certainly happy for me, but I would rather that you ask him directly[/b]."[/p][embed guid="a8902b9e-8ab1-4a75-a6c5-1706ae315ec9" url="https://x.com/Sachk0/status/2066351544585564523" social-type="twitter" /][p]Tunisian representatives contacted a teenage Ayari in 2021 offering him a place in the 2022 World Cup squad, but he chose Sweden, with his father Azzouz's blessing.[/p][p]In an interview with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, Azzouz Ayari confirmed that the Tunisian federation had offered his son a place in the World Cup squad if he changed his sporting nationality, but he added: "[b]I wanted him to play for Sweden. He must give back to the country that supported him.[/b]"[/p][p]Ayari has a younger brother, Taha, who plays for Swedish club AIK, and has already played two matches with Sweden's under-21 team. He could well also follow in his brother's footsteps and opt for the yellow jersey of Sweden.[/p][p]Tunisia have included many players born abroad, such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/neffati-moutaz/4pLs2Gzb/"]Moutaz Neffati[/a], born and raised in Sweden, who played for Sweden's national youth teams before agreeing to represent Tunisia.[/p][p]They also have [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/burnley/z3dmTMMO/"]Burnley[/a] midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mejbri-hannibal/8ECeKtyS/"]Hannibal Mejbri[/a], who was born in France, and the promising 18-year-old Canadian-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/elloumi-rayan/KxqXbGeK/"]Rayan Elloumi[/a].[/p][p]Haj Ali concluded: "[b]We do not have many global stars of Tunisian origin, which is why we must hold on to every player who emerges on the international stage.[/b]"[/p]