Leeds United ace Okafor has been snubbed by his national team manager once again
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
10:44, 06 Nov 2025
Noah Okafor and Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin in June 2024
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Noah Okafor and Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin in June 2024(Image: Carsten Harz/Getty Images)
Switzerland national team manager Murat Yakin has taken a new swipe at Noah Okafor as his rift with the Leeds United winger continues.
Okafor has not been named in the Swiss squad once again for the upcoming international break, meaning he will go a full 12 months without an appearance for his country.
Yakin insists that the door is not closed on the 25-year-old - but should Switzerland qualify, it seems unlikely that Okafor will feature as things stand. The coach is known to be rigid in his squad selections, something national team director Pierluigi Tami even admitted.
"Murat has decided in his head who will be a regular starter and who won't,” he said last month when asked about Okafor's persistent absences. “It's important to us that everyone in the national team is happy, regardless of what role the coach assigns them.”
Pressed on why Okafor was being continually left out, Tami replied: “That's actually a question for Murat Yakin. This [start to his Leeds career] is the right path if you want to return to the national team.”
Yakin and Okafor have not seen eye to eye over the past 18 months, with both speaking out about the situation at various points. Yakin is often grilled about Okafor’s snubs during each international break, including this one.
When asked about it on Wednesday, he said, as per Watson: “Okafor remains on our radar. I've spoken to Okafor repeatedly, telling him what I expect from him on and off the pitch. I hope my words will eventually get through to him.
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“We'll continue to monitor him. Attacking players are also measured by their scoring. Those who are currently playing have an advantage over Okafor in that regard.”
The only called-up wing option to have scored more than Okafor this season is 31-year-old Christian Fassnacht of Young Boys, who has seven goals in 16 appearances. Okafor has two in eight appearances.
Fassnacht has been reintroduced into the fold for the first time in two-and-a-half years, after seemingly being exiled for choosing his honeymoon over national team training in June 2023. “It was never a penalty,” Yakin laughed when asked about his re-inclusion.
Out of all the attackers named in the Swiss squad, only centre-forward Cedric Itten has scored more goals than Okafor, netting four in 11 games for second-tier German side Fortuna Dusseldorf. All other options have scored up to two goals but in more league games than Okafor.
Rennes striker Breel Embolo has two goals in eight French league games. Winger Dan Ndoye has two goals in 12 games for Nottingham Forest, but only one in nine Premier League outings.
Flanker Ruben Vargas also has two goals in 10 La Liga games for Sevilla. Fabian Rieder, an attacking midfielder who can play as a striker, has two goals in seven Bundesliga games for Augsburg but played in three Ligue 1 matches for Rennes before his summer switch.
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