Dual citizen Swiss football row moves into extra-time
Granit Xhaka only holds a Swiss passport, despite what the SFA may say.
Keystone
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.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
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.