Daniel Farke's honest verdict on Noah Okafor Switzerland decision — YEP 10/9/26
By Kyle Newbould
The Leeds United winger has stepped away from representing
the Switzerland national team.
Daniel Farke insists Leeds United will always be a ‘home’
for Noah Okafor and the winger will always be a ‘key player’ for him following
news of his international withdrawal.
Okafor confirmed in a shock statement on Thursday his
decision to step down from representing the Swiss national team. The Leeds star
said he will not play for his country so long as head coach Murat Yakin is in
charge due to broken promises at a World Cup where he played just 19 minutes.
In his statement, Okafor said the decision was not down to
minutes but because of the way he was treated in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The Whites winger said he felt ‘trust was broken’ and ‘promises were not kept’,
with an angry reaction to his small mistake against Algeria producing a
reaction that ‘hit me deeply’.
Addressing the decision ahead of Leeds’ meeting with
Newcastle United on Monday, Farke said: “He came to inform me and also
explained the reason why. I appreciate that he spoke with me beforehand and I
was well informed. It's more or less Noah's decision. He has to decide what is
best at this stage for his career.
“All I can say is that we have a home here for Noah. He
feels really comfortable and appreciated, and for us he will be a key player.
What he decides with his international career, with the national team, that's
totally up to him.
“I don't want to get in the way or give too many
recommendations. I think it's more or less for Noah’s family to decide what is
best.”
Okafor will therefore play no part in Switzerland’s upcoming
Nations League meetings with North Macedonia, Scotland, Slovenia and North
Macedonia again in the extended September/October break. The winger will
instead be expected to put all his focus on Leeds.
Asked whether it benefits his side, Farke added: “Less games
so probably there's less injury risk, although there were also not too many
games for him at the World Cup if I’m honest, so not sure if the injury risk
was too high. On the other hand, to represent your country and play on the
highest level, you also can take extra motivation to be good at your club.
“I think it's also sometimes beneficial for a career, but
the decision of Noah is like it is and we take the best out of it. We make sure
he concentrates even more on the club and he can then also use international
breaks in terms of less travel and a bit more recharging, this will help a
little bit.