Philippe Lucas, the French coach who guided two of Tunisia’s best Olympic-level swimmers, has gone from giving warnings to filing a lawsuit. As reported by La Presse, the respected coach has announced he is initiating legal proceedings against the Tunisian Swimming Federation, alleging it has failed to pay him for more than a year, despite the signing of two official agreements in October 2024.

Lucas explained that he had signed two contracts: one to coach Ahmed Jaouadi, the world champion, and another to coach Ahmed Hafnaoui, the Olympic champion. It was said that each contract was worth 25,000 euros, which made the base cost 50,000 euros (around $58,000), plus bonuses.

Lucas described a situation of “total chaos” that is “shameful for Tunisian sport,” citing infighting between officials, frequent personnel changes, and a complete lack of response to his attempts at communication. The coach initially threatened to take legal action over unpaid contracts for coaching Jaouadi last month, which led to this formal step.

At the time, the Federation said it had sent 290,000 Tunisian Dinars to Jaouadi’s account, which it said included 50,000 dinars set aside as an initial payment for Lucas.

“Luca was to receive a salary in accordance with the terms of the contract between the two parties. However, the athlete breached his contractual obligations and failed to pay the coach, despite the availability of funds and the transfer of the salary to his account,” FTN said.

Jaouadi, on the other hand, has strongly disagreed with the Federation’s account of what happened. He wrote on his Instagram story that the amounts he received were much smaller than what was indicated, and that a payment of 49,552 euros he received was meant just for Lucas, even though his training costs for 2025 exceeded 80,000 euros.

“The Tunisian Swimming Federation itself acknowledges that it still owes amounts related to the execution of the contract between it and coach Philippe Lucas, which makes its statement an attempt to shift responsibility outside of its legal and contractual framework,” Jaouadi argued.

But how did the two swimmers do under his guidance?

Philippe Lucas trained his Olympic swimmers to victory

Philippe Lucas has helped his Tunisian swimmers reach the top of their sport by using a coaching style he developed during 20 years of working with world-class distance swimmers.

Ahmed Jaouadi joined Lucas’ top group in Martigues after he was too old to compete as a junior. He rapidly became well-known there. Jaouadi became a double World Champion in the 800m and 1500m freestyle at the 2025 Singapore World Championships, thanks to Lucas’ coaching.

He set the third-fastest time ever in the 800m race, finishing in 7:36.88. Jaouadi’s win in the 1500m freestyle at the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Budapest was a major turning point and proof of the careful, step-by-step racing plans made for him.

Top Stories

Josh Allen Makes Lifetime Buffalo Announcement as Pregnant Hailee Steinfeld Receives Bills QB’s Clear Family Plan

NTSB Appeals for Greg Biffle’s Wife’s Alleged In-Flight Text Messages as Crash Investigation Heats Up

Travis Kelce Reveals Real Reason Behind Decision to Snub the Media Amid Retirement Rumors

Sean Strickland Passes on UFC White House Opportunity in Yet Another Bold Confession

Donald Trump Issues Moving Message of Condolence for NASCAR’s Greg Biffle & Family During North Carolina Address

Another Almost Fatal Disaster Surfaces From Statesville Airport Amidst Ongoing Greg Biffle’s Crash Investigation

The French coach also held a training camp for Ahmed Hafnaoui and Jaouadi to help Ahmed improve his technique and endurance so he could get back to the form that had won him the 400m freestyle Olympic gold in Tokyo and world titles in the 800m and 1500m freestyle in 2023.

Lucas’ work went beyond just teaching technical skills; he also provided a steady and expert framework that helped these talented athletes do well on the world stage.