Serious allegations against the coach! Premier League star retires from international football at 26

In a lengthy post on his Instagram profile, the 26-year-old Leeds United winger announced he no longer wants to play for the Switzerland national team in future. The reason was not a lack of playing time, but broken trust and unkept promises from head coach Murat Yakin.

During the recent World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, when Switzerland reached the quarter-finals and only went out there to eventual finalists Argentina, he said he was treated in a way he is no longer willing to tolerate.

"For me, that was the most difficult period of my career so far. After careful consideration, I have decided to retire from the Switzerland national team until further notice. This decision is extremely difficult for me, but I want to and must say it now. There has never been anything greater for me than playing for Switzerland," wrote Okafor.

Okafor said he "would also have very much liked to continue playing for Switzerland in future and given everything for our country", but that this was no longer possible for him "under the current circumstances". "It is important to me to make one thing clear: this decision has nothing to do with minutes on the pitch." Even during the World Cup tournament, he said he had accepted his role and had always "put himself at the service of the team. It was a great honour for me to be there for my country at the World Cup."

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Noah Okafor hits out at Murat Yakin: "Things happened that deeply hurt me"

In his statement, Okafor said that after a conversation with Yakin and a strong season at Leeds, he travelled to the World Cup feeling positive and full of motivation. What he experienced there, though, left him even more disappointed.

"Things happened that deeply hurt me. Trust was broken. Promises were not kept. And when I was allowed to play against Algeria, even small mistakes far away from our goal were reacted to in a way that deeply hurt me," Okafor said. He added that he had "thought a lot in the weeks afterwards" and made the decision for himself "that I no longer want to play for the national team under the current coach".

Even so, he wished head coach Yakin and the team nothing but the very best for the future. The Switzerland coach has achieved something historic, but mutual respect and trust must always be there. "I do not see that foundation for the coming years," wrote Okafor.

At the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the attacking player featured only in the round of 32 against Algeria. He stayed on the bench for the full 90 minutes in the other five matches.

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