Dual citizen Swiss football row moves into extra-time
The Swiss Football Association (SFA) has been accused of giving out false information about the citizenship of players as the dual nationality debate rumbles on. The agent of Granit Xhaka has denied SFA statements that the midfielder has an Albanian passport.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
André Gross told the Sonntagszeitung that the national team player, who was born in Basel, only holds a Swiss passport. The article also accuses the SFA of getting the second nationality of Valon Behrami wrong – he used to hold a Serbian passport, not Albanian.
An SFA spokesman told the newspaper that its apparently misleading information came from a survey carried out in 2014 and an unofficial list filled out by players a year later.
The row over dual nationality broke out after three Swiss footballers, one of them Xhaka, were fined by FIFA for making hand gestures of an Albanian national symbol to celebrate goals against Serbia in a World Cup match.
In an interview with the Tages Anzeiger, SFA general secretary Alex Miescher said “that incident shows that there’s a problem. We have to ask ourselves: do we want dual nationals?” The SFA later distanced itself from the comments, reiterating its support for integration and regretting the discriminatory tone of Miescher’s interview.
But the comments clearly rankled Xhaka, who told the Swiss News Agency, SDA-ATS: “We are all Swiss, and we give everything for the Swiss team. We all know exactly what we owe to Switzerland, what this country has done for us and our families. My roots are in Kosovo, those of Breel Embolo are in Cameroon. Manuel Akanji comes from Nigeria and Ricardo Rodriguez from Chile and Spain, etc.”
More
More
Eagle gesture puts spotlight on Swiss Kosovar community
This content was published on
“Albanian eagle” goal celebrations by Swiss footballers with ethnic Albanian heritage linked to Kosovo have sparked controversy.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
Record organ donation in Switzerland despite high rejection rates
This content was published on
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives.
This content was published on
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern.
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 FA considers forcing young footballers to drop a second nationality
This content was published on
Switzerland has to ask itself whether it should ban dual citizens from representing the national football team, says an official.
Xhaka tackles Swiss football official over dual national controversy
This content was published on
Swiss footballer Granit Xhaka has criticised a top federation official for questioning whether the national team really needs dual nationals.
Swiss footballers fined by FIFA for Albanian double-eagle gesture
This content was published on
Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and Stephan Lichtsteiner will not be banned for their Albanian “double eagle” hand gesture.
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.