The resignation of Hamed Kammoun from the presidency of the team in May 2011 to the emergence of a major crisis in the team affected the performance of the team which knew 4 coaches in one season which was bad for the fans of ES Sahel after the fourth position in the league in 2012. The Cup of Tunisia was not terminated because of political events in Tunisia in 2011. The team's new management, headed by Hafedh Hmaied, was unable to end the crisis in the team. Ridha Charfeddine was appointed to this post in May 2012. ESS qualified for the group stage of the 2012 CAF Champions League. The riot at Stade Olympique de Sousse on August 18, 2012 led to make a decision by the CAF to exclude them from the tournament. This contributed to the aggravation of the team's crises.