Noah Okafor Ends Switzerland Career Under Murat Yakin

Noah Okafor has drawn a hard line under his Switzerland career – at least for as long as Murat Yakin remains in charge.

The Leeds United forward announced on Thursday that he will no longer represent the national team under the current head coach, saying trust between the pair has collapsed.

Okafor, 26, has collected 26 caps since his debut in 2019 and went to the World Cup as part of Yakin’s squad. But he played just 19 minutes at the tournament, coming off the bench in Switzerland’s last-32 win over Algeria.

On Instagram, he insisted this is not a story about minutes on the pitch. For him, it cuts deeper.

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

The Swiss FA confirmed it had been informed of Okafor’s stance on Thursday. A spokesperson told Reuters: "We respect his decision and wish him every success with his club."

Okafor’s club career has taken a sharp turn in the last year. He joined Leeds from AC Milan in August 2025 for £18m, a move that was supposed to run parallel to his international ambitions. Instead, it now looks like his future lies solely in club colours unless there is a change in the national team dugout.

Yakin, who has been in charge of Switzerland since August 2021, now faces the prospect of moving into the next cycle without one of his more experienced attacking options.

Switzerland’s next assignment comes on 26 September, away to North Macedonia in their opening match of the 2026-27 Nations League. Okafor will be watching that from afar, his message already delivered: without a change at the top, his chapter with the national team is closed.