In November 2024, Leeds United’s Noah Okafor came off the bench in Switzerland’s UEFA Nations League defeat to Spain. That was the winger’s last appearance for his country.
He left AC Milan for Leeds United in the summer and has enjoyed a good start to his Elland Road career.
To put it in context, Okafor has scored two goals from five league games but still didn’t make it to the Switzerland squad for October’s matches.
On Wednesday, the national team director, Pierluigi Tami, said he’s unclear why Murat Yakin left him out of the squad. He also explained the door remains open for the 25-year-old.
Tami had been speaking to Swiss newspaper Blick, who reported the Switzerland FA have ‘secretly expressed doubts’ about his return. Thursday’s edition of 20 Minuten gives their take on why Yakin hasn’t considered the Leeds United player.
It’s claimed this is due to the ‘misunderstanding’ between the pair dating back to Euro 2024.
The national team manager included Okafor in the squad for last European championship, but left him on the bench in every fixture. According to the newspaper, the attacker showed frustration and lack of commitment in training over not playing a single minute in the tournament. Yakin didn’t appreciate this.
Although the manager called him up last November, the bitterness from Euro 2024 seems to be still there. His first choice for attack is Dan Ndoye, Ruben Vargas, and Breel Embolo.
20 Minuten say Yakin has ‘his team in mind, and it’s working.’ This, coupled with the past disappointment would make it difficult for Okafor to return to the Switzerland squad.
Maybe reaching out to Yakin could help him
