LEEDS, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Noah Okafor of Leeds United encourages the crowd with teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Leeds United and Newcastle United at Elland Road on September 14, 2026 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Leeds United winger Noah Okafor isn’t involved for Switzerland this week, having announced he’s stepping back while Murat Yakin is in charge.
Since joining from AC Milan for £18million, Noah Okafor has proven himself to be a real favourite at Elland Road.
He’s been entrusted as a crucial part of Leeds’ squad under Daniel Farke. During his time here, he’s grown into his role in the Premier League more as the games went on.
Switzerland chief speaks out on Leeds United winger Noah Okafor after quitting internationals
The level of trust Okafor gets from Farke is clearly not matched by his Switzerland boss Murat Yakin. When joining Leeds, Okafor was frozen out by his international manager. Since, he’s had to go to great lengths to repair that relationship, helped by his stunning form last season.
However, he was unused in the March international break and only came off the bench once to clock a meagre 19 minutes at the World Cup. That development has led to Okafor calling time on representing Switzerland while Yakin is in charge.
In that statement, Okafor cited broken trust and irreperable relationships:
Yakin has stuck to his guns, though. His over-the-top reaction to Okafor losing the ball from a bad pass deep in added time against Algeria (2-0 up) was clear proof of what Okafor was trying to convey. But, the 52-year-old thinks he’s in the right.
And, Yakin’s comments have been backed up by Switzerland director Pierluigi Tami this week.
“I never wanted to lose such a good athlete like him,” Tami explains, relayed by Blick.“But Murat was very clear in his press conference. Noah’s qualities sometimes don’t fit his playing style. Murat explained well why Noah doesn’t have a place on the team,” he said.
“The players only see the issue from their own perspective. The coach has to see the whole picture. Murat tried everything to integrate him. In the end, we weren’t satisfied with his performance.”
Contradiction: Murat Yakin hasn’t “tried everything” with Noah Okafor
I understand a director backing the manager in his decisions, it’s completely reasonable for Tami to rationalise what Yakin has decided to do. However, it’s far from true to suggest he’s “tried everything” to reintegrate Okafor.
To quote Ned Flanders’ mother from The Simpsons: “we tried nothing and we’re all out of ideas”.
If he had truly tried, he would have played him in the March internationals when he replaced an injured squad player. Or, he would have given him a start in the World Cup.
But, in giving him 19 minutes against Algeria, Yakin has shown he still holds this grudge. That’s hardly offering out an olive branch to Okafor. He gave him a cameo in a game that was already won, and slammed his bottle to the ground over him losing the ball under pressure.
I’m glad Okafor isn’t playing for him anymore. He’s clearly not being treated fairly, and it means he surely won’t be injured against Arsenal in three weeks’ time.
