Gökhan Inler is to captain the Swiss national football team in its June 4 match against England, national coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has revealed.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
Inler replaces Alex Frei, who announced his retirement from the international game at the end of March.
The decision does not come as a surprise, since Inler had already been Frei’s deputy.
“Gökhan is in top form, is handling the ball well and is a strong runner,” Hitzfeld told Saturday’s Blick newspaper.
“It’s an honour for me and it makes me proud to lead this national team,” Inler told the paper.
“I shall do my best to ensure that we have a hungry team, and will try to be a bridge between coach and team.”
Inler, who is 26, currently plays for the Italian team Udinese, where he is a midfielder.
He made his first appearance for Switzerland in a friendly against Venezuela in 2006. In all he has made 47 international appearances, and scored four goals.
He captained the team during its shock defeat of Spain in the 2010 World Cup – the only game Switzerland won and the only game Spain (the eventual champions) lost.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss brace for crucial Euro qualifier in Sofia
This content was published on
Both teams are in third place in Group G with three points, four adrift of England, who are looking to go top against bottom side Wales on Saturday. Meanwhile, current pool leaders Montenegro – on ten points – are out of action until June. While qualification would still be mathematically possible following a defeat or…
This content was published on
Armchair football pundits have had plenty of questions to keep them busy ahead of the big 2012 European Championship qualifier between England and Switzerland on Tuesday night. On Monday England coach Fabio Capello said Rooney was match-fit and would play against Switzerland despite being engulfed in a sex scandal at home. Two Sunday tabloids alleged…
This content was published on
A messy goal by Gelson Fernandes in the 52nd minute gave the Swiss their first win in a World Cup opening match since 1954, when they beat Italy 2-1. The Swiss were massive underdogs going into Wednesday’s match in the 62,760-seat Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa. Bookmakers had made Spain overall favourites to…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.