Soccer-Okafor says he will not play for Switzerland under Yakin


FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Leeds United - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - February 10, 2026 Leeds United's Noah Okafor celebrates scoring their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo

(corrects defeat to ⁠win in second paragraph)

Sept 10 (Reuters) - Switzerland forward Noah ⁠Okafor will no longer play for the national ‌team under Murat Yakin until further notice, citing a breakdown in trust with the manager, he said on Thursday.

The Leeds United player featured ​for just 19 minutes as a ⁠substitute in Switzerland's last-32 ⁠win over Algeria at the World Cup, taking his ⁠tally ‌to 26 international appearances.

However, the 26-year-old said his limited minutes did not influence his decision, ⁠which he stressed stemmed from the way he ​had been ‌treated.

"My decision has nothing to do with my playing ⁠time.

"Things happened ​that hurt me deeply. Trust was broken. Commitments were not kept. And when I was allowed to play against ⁠Algeria, people reacted to minor mistakes ​far away from our goal in a way that hurt me deeply.

"In the weeks that followed, I thought a lot ⁠and decided for myself that I no longer want to play for the national team under the current manager," Okafor said in a statement on Instagram.

The Swiss ​FA acknowledged Okafor's decision.

"Noah informed us ⁠today that, for the time being, he will no ​longer play for the national team. ‌We respect his decision and ​wish him every success with his club," said a spokesperson.

(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in Bengaluru)

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