Tunisia extend coach Lemerre's contract

SCHWEINFURT, Germany, June 11 (Reuters) Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre has signed a new contract to stay with the north African side until at least 2008, the President of the Tunisian Federation said today.

Frenchman Lemerre joined Tunisia in 2002 after coaching France at the World Cup in South Korea and Japan when they went out in the first round.

Tunisia won their first African Nations Cup in 2004 and qualified for their fourth World Cup under his guidance.

''We have signed,'' Hamouda Ben Ammar told a press conference today, adding that Lemerre has the option to extend his contract until 2010.

Asked if he was taking a risk before seeing how the team perform in the World Cup, Ammar said he was more influenced by four years of good work.

''We wish to continue in this direction,'' he said.

Lemerre was an assistant to Aime Jacquet when France won the World Cup in 1998. He was in charge of the French side when they won Euro 2000 but left the team after their poor showing in 2002.

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