Leeds United winger Noah Okafor has declared that he will not represent Switzerland again as long as Murat Yakin remains in charge of the national team, pointing to a collapse of trust between himself and the head coach.
The 26-year-old, who has won 26 caps since debuting for his country in 2019, made the announcement in a statement posted to his Instagram account on Thursday. Okafor's international involvement had already been limited in recent months, with the forward restricted to just 19 minutes of action at the World Cup, appearing as a substitute during Switzerland's last-32 victory over Algeria.
Despite the sparse playing time, Okafor insisted that his decision to step back from the setup was not driven by frustration over a lack of minutes, but by deeper personal grievances stemming from his treatment under the current coaching staff.
"My decision has nothing to do with my playing time," Okafor explained in his statement. "Things happened that hurt me deeply. Trust was broken. Commitments were not kept."
He went on to describe the fallout from his brief appearance against Algeria, revealing that criticism over small errors in a low-risk area of the pitch left a lasting impact on him. "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," he said. Okafor added that he spent considerable time reflecting before reaching his conclusion, ultimately deciding he no longer wished to feature for the national side while Yakin remains at the helm.
The Swiss Football Association was notified of Okafor's stance on Thursday. A spokesperson for the federation responded diplomatically, telling Reuters: "We respect his decision and wish him every success with his club."
At Leeds, where Okafor arrived from AC Milan in a £18m deal in August 2025, manager Daniel Farke offered his full backing to the player. Farke revealed that Okafor had approached him personally to explain his reasoning ahead of making the announcement public.
"He came to inform me and explained the reasons why, and I appreciate that he spoke with me beforehand and I was well informed," Farke said. The German coach was careful not to pass judgment on the situation, framing it as a matter for Okafor alone to navigate.
"It's more or less Noah's decision, he has to decide what is best at this stage for his career," Farke continued. "All I can say is we have a home here for Noah, where he feels really comfortable, appreciated, and for us he will be a key player."
Farke also made clear that Leeds would not attempt to influence Okafor's international future, leaving that choice firmly in the player's hands. "What he decides with his national team - that's totally up to him. I don't want to get in the way. I think it's more or less for Noah's family to decide what is best," he said.
Yakin, who has led Switzerland since August 2021, will now have to plan without one of his more experienced attacking options as the team prepares for the new Nations League campaign. Switzerland's next fixture comes on 26 September, when they travel to North Macedonia to open their 2026-27 Nations League campaign, with Okafor's international absence set to continue for as long as Yakin remains in charge.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.