Tunisia's World Cup preparations have taken an unexpected turn, with head coach Sabri Lamouchi making the surprising decision to leave Karlsruhe's rising star Louey Ben Farhat off the final squad—after a bizarre phone call from the player's own father.

The 19-year-old attacker, who has been turning heads in Germany's 2. Bundesliga this season, was expected to be a key part of Tunisia's plans for the tournament. However, his father reportedly called Lamouchi directly, stating that it was "too early" for his son to feature on football's biggest stage.

Lamouchi, a former French international, attempted to clarify the situation by reaching out to Ben Farhat himself—but the young talent never returned his call. Left with no response and a clear refusal from the family, the coach made the difficult decision to omit the youngster from the squad entirely.

Ben Farhat's season has been a story of resilience. After missing the first half of the campaign due to injury, he returned with a vengeance, delivering an outstanding Rückrunde for the 2. Bundesliga side. His performances earned him his first international caps in last month's friendlies against Haiti and Canada, where he showed glimpses of his immense potential.

Despite the setback, Ben Farhat's talent hasn't gone unnoticed. Several Bundesliga clubs are reportedly monitoring his progress closely, and his future in the game remains bright—even if his World Cup dream will have to wait.