Tunisian football club ES Metlaoui is facing an uncertain future after a deepening ES Metlaoui financial crisis prompted its board to suspend sporting activities, with unpaid player wages, mounting debts and a reported seasonal deficit disrupting normal operations.
The club had used all the options to keep the organisation afloat, a club spokesman told Reuters on Wednesday. The suspension reportedly affects all sports, and it is unclear whether the club will be able to meet its upcoming competitive obligations.
The financial issues have already impacted the first team. Metlaoui’s players ended their training sessions in September over a lack of wages, marking the rising tensions between the club’s finances and its squad.
Recently, the club announced a lack of 383,000 Tunisian dinars ($128,000) for the 2025–26 season. The deficiency highlights the financial motives in the decision to end operations.
The board has decided to suspend activities after reviewing the situation, El-Bahy Dinnari, Club spokesperson, confirmed. The announcement comes after a post that appeared on the club’s official Facebook page the day before, announcing that activities would be paused after a review of the club’s finances.
But, the Tunisian Professional Football League has not officially confirmed the move. The club did not send a formal document to the League, the club’s spokesperson Hafez Ben Ahmed told Reuters.
The league did not endorse a decision that can only be conveyed by a statement on social media, said Ben Ahmed. If Metlaoui doesn’t show up for an official match and fulfil its competitive commitments, the situation can be formalized, he said.
It sets the club’s immediate sporting future in limbo. The announcement from the board is a ‘suspension’; the stance of the league suggests that the practical implications of this action will be further determined.
