Noah Okafor reacts with a post on Instagram to the waves caused by his non-nomination for the Swiss national team's upcoming matches. The striker is devastated.
29.08.2024, 19:36
29.08.2024, 19:46
SDA
"I love playing for my country," says Okafor. He has always done everything he can to recommend himself. "Being a national player is something special. You don't get it for free." Every minute in the jersey is valuable, no matter what role you have. "That's why it hurts to hear and read that I supposedly didn't have a good attitude. I'm being denied character and accused of not giving my all to play."
He would never point the finger at anyone or talk badly about anyone. "That's how I was brought up. It's simply not right to talk badly about the country you're playing for." He did not speak during the European Championships and will not do so now. "I'm going to concentrate fully on my club and tear myself apart for AC Milan."
Even if Okafor does not explicitly name anyone, his accusations are at least directed at national team coach Murat Yakin. When announcing the squad for the next Nations League games on Thursday, he criticized Okafor's attitude. Okafor's training performances before the European Championship were not satisfactory.
"I missed the intensity, the willingness to show that he wants to play," said Yakin. "He should think about the fact that he is not always automatically nominated for the national team. There are values in the national team that we pass on, that we live by, to be subordinate to the team." There are things that Okafor still needs to work on.
