Serious allegations against the coach! Former Bundesliga star retires from the national team at the age of 26
With the Switzerland national team, Noah Okafor takes part in the 2026 World Cup. He has now announced his retirement - and made serious accusations against coach Murat Yakin.
In a lengthy post on his Instagram profile, the 26-year-old Leeds United winger announced that he no longer wants to play for the Switzerland national team. The reason was not a lack of minutes, but broken trust and unkept promises from head coach Murat Yakin.
During the recent World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, when Switzerland reached the quarter-finals before eventual finalists Argentina knocked them out, he said he was treated in a way he no longer wanted to tolerate.
"For me, that was the most difficult period of my career so far. After careful consideration, I have decided to retire from the Switzerland national team until further notice. This decision is extremely difficult for me, but I want and need to say it now. There was never anything greater for me than playing for Switzerland," wrote Okafor.
The 26-year-old said he "would also have very much liked to play for Switzerland in the future and give everything for our country", but that this was no longer possible for him "under the current circumstances". "It is important to me to make one thing clear: this decision has nothing to do with minutes on the pitch." Even during the World Cup, he said he had accepted his role and had always "put himself at the service of the team. It was a great honour for me to be there for my country at the World Cup."
Noah Okafor hits out at Murat Yakin: "Things happened that struck me deeply"
Okafor said in his statement that, after clearing the air with Yakin and following a strong season with Leeds, he travelled to the World Cup feeling good and full of motivation. What followed left him even more disappointed.
"Things happened that struck me deeply. Trust was broken. Promises were not kept. And when I was allowed to play against Algeria, the reaction even to small mistakes far away from our goal was in a way that struck me deeply," Okafor said. He therefore "did a lot of thinking in the weeks afterwards" and made the decision for himself "that I no longer want to play for the national team under the current coach".
Still, he wished head coach Yakin and the team nothing but the best for the future. The Switzerland coach had achieved something historic, but there must always be mutual respect and trust. "I do not see that foundation for the coming years," wrote Okafor.
At the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the former Bundesliga player from RB Leipzig featured only in the round of 32 against Algeria. He stayed on the bench for the full 90 minutes in all five of Switzerland's other matches.
