Noah Okafor should not be surprised, but the knives are out in Switzerland following his decision to step down from the national team.
The Leeds United striker announced his decision to step away from international football last week – as long as Murat Yakin is manager.
It brought an end to what has been a tumultuous relationship with Switzerland and Yakin which has now rumbled on for a few years.
The reaction in Switzerland has been, predictable. If the 26-year-old was expecting a public outcry or even disappointment, he will have been left sorely disappointed.
First there was report of Yakin being left annoyed after the latest incident with the Leeds man. Then there was a report explaining that he’s taking himself too seriously and, essentially, thinking he’s more important than he is.
Family incident sent to media
Nau provide more today, and it’s focused on Okafor’s family. Now, we would point out this feels like a bit of a hit piece given Okafor’s recent announcement.
Either way they have quotes from hospitality mogul Michel Péclard. He can understand why Yakin isn’t a fan of Okafor, having dealt with the striker’s family first hand.
The outlet explains that Okafor’s recent complaint about a lack of respect ‘comes as a surprise’ to the likes of Péclard. He recounted an incident that took place before the World Cup began.
He hosted Okafor and his family at his establishment – Fischer’s Fritz – for the Leeds man’s 26th birthday. Ahead of that, the venue had received a request from Okafor’s sister asking to drop off decorations in the morning. But it turns out she had other plans.
“Instead of just dropping them off, she wanted to decorate the table that afternoon. You can imagine how busy things are for us on a day like that,” explained Péclard.
His manager explained that this wasn’t possible, especially as the table reservation wasn’t until 5 p.m.
“Okafor’s sister lost her temper, and a heated argument ensued,” he added.
Things get nasty after meal
More trouble followed later in the evening.
“When the crowd thinned out after 10:30PM, five well-built members of Okafor’s entourage confronted my general manager. They demanded to know what he thought he was doing the previous afternoon,” he detailed.
The general manager apologised for the incident again, but to no success.
“That wasn’t enough for them; they wanted to see contrition. I’ve never experienced anything like this in 25 years in the hospitality business.
“On top of that, Okafor’s sister even demanded a price reduction afterwards – but I intervened over the phone to put a stop to that.
“It was just before the World Cup, a time when the whole country is caught up in the excitement – so I didn’t want to make a big fuss. Still, the way that group behaved was completely unacceptable. I understand why Murat Yakin wouldn’t want to call up a player like that anymore.”
The Leeds United player may well have his own version of events. The gloves are off in Switzerland and it would be no surprise to see further negative takes on Noah Okafor.
