Leeds United forward Noah Okafor has decided to stop playing for Switzerland. He made this choice because of a breakdown in trust with the coach, Murat Yakin.
The 26-year-old has played 26 times for Switzerland since his first match in 2019. He said this decision does not relate to how much he played.
Okafor spent only 19 minutes on the pitch during the World Cup. He came on as a substitute in Switzerland's last-32 win against Algeria.
On Thursday, he shared a statement on Instagram. He explained that his feelings about how he was treated by the national team’s leadership influenced his choice.
"My decision has nothing to do with my playing time.
Things happened that hurt me deeply. Trust was broken. Commitments were not kept," he said.
He also talked about how people reacted to his performance against Algeria. The criticism affected him a lot.
"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 decided he no longer wanted to play for Switzerland under Yakin.
"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," he added.
The Swiss Football Association said they were informed of his decision.
A spokesperson told Reuters, "We respect his decision and wish him every success with his club."
Switzerland is set to start their 2026-27 Nations League campaign against North Macedonia on September 26.
Okafor joined Leeds from AC Milan in August 2025 for £18 million.
Yakin has been the head coach of Switzerland since August 2021.
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