Okafor leaves the Swiss national team due to problems with the coach

Noah Okafor has announced that he will not play again for Switzerland under the leadership of Murat Yakin, citing a breach of trust with the head coach.

The 26-year-old has made 26 international appearances for the Swiss national team since making his debut in 2019, but only played 19 minutes at the World Cup, coming off the bench in the round of 16 victory over Algeria.

In a statement posted to his Instagram account on Thursday, Okafor said his decision was not related to his lack of playing time, but instead attributed it to how he feels he has been treated by the current leadership.

“My decision has nothing to do with my playing time,” Okafor wrote, as reported by BBC Sport.

“Things happened that hurt me deeply. Trust was broken. Commitments were not kept.

“When I was allowed to play against Algeria, people reacted to minor mistakes away from our goal in a way that hurt me deeply.

“In the following weeks I thought a lot and decided for myself that I no longer want to play for the national team under the current coach.”

Okafor informed the Swiss Federation on Thursday and a spokesman told Reuters: “We respect his decision and wish him every success at his club.”

Leeds manager Daniel Farke has pledged to support Okafor, who joined the club from AC Milan for £18m in August 2025, stating “we have a home here for Noah” and backing him to be a “key player” in the Premier League.

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“He came to inform me and explained the reasons, and I appreciate that he talked to me beforehand and that I was well informed,” Farke said.

“It’s more or less Noah’s decision, he has to decide what is best at this stage of his career. All I can say is that we have a home here for Noah, where he feels really comfortable, appreciated and for us he will be a key player.

“What he decides with his international career, with the national team, is totally up to him. I don’t want to get in the way. I think it’s more or less Noah’s family that decides what’s best.”

Switzerland will be next in action on September 26, traveling to North Macedonia for their opening match of the 2026-27 Nations League.
Yakin has been the coach of Switzerland since August 2021.

Born in Binningen, Okafor is the son of a Nigerian father and a Swiss mother.

Okafor played several international matches for the Swiss under-15 and under-17 teams. He played his first game for the under-18 team on May 9, 2018 in a 1-1 draw against the Italy under-18 team.

He made his debut for the senior team on 9 June 2019 in the 2019 UEFA Nations League third-place match against England, as a substitute for Haris Seferovic in the 113th minute.

He scored his first international goal for Switzerland on 15 November 2021, in their World Cup qualification match against Bulgaria, a victory that ensured Switzerland’s automatic qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

On 20 May 2026, Okafor was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.