Kansas City. After the 1-3 defeat to Argentina in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin has expressed his displeasure over the decisions of the referee and VAR (Video Assistant Referee). However, he described the team’s performance of reaching the last eight as a successful campaign.
Yakin was accompanied by Swiss Football Association President Peter Knabel and national team director Pierluigi Tomi at the press conference held on Sunday. All three praised the team’s performance, but described the defeat in the quarter-finals as disappointing.
In the match, Switzerland scored an equalizing goal in the second half, but shortly thereafter, striker Briel Embolo was sent off the field after being shown a second yellow card for simulation (dive) after a VAR review. After this, Argentina put pressure on the Swiss team playing with 10 players and won the match 3-1.
After the defeat, Yakin questioned the referee’s decisions, saying, “Not only did we play against a fantastic Argentina team and the reigning world champions, but we also had to play against 70,000 Argentine supporters, the referee and VAR. It was too much for any team. Naturally, being out like that hurts.”
However, the Swiss coach adopted a positive outlook regarding the future. He said, “Our journey is not over here. We have a great mix of experienced and young players. We have continuously included new talent in the team and this is our biggest strength.”
Talking about his future, Yakin made it clear that he wants to remain with the team. He said, “I still love coaching as much as possible and being the head coach of the Switzerland national team is a matter of pride for me. I absolutely love working with this team. I have no thoughts of going any other way.”
Murat Yakin, 51, has been Switzerland’s head coach for the past five years and still has two years left on his contract. As a player, he has played 49 international matches for Switzerland.
Yakin added, “We want to remain ambitious in the coming campaigns. Also, tournaments like the Nations League provide us with a great platform to give opportunities to young players.”
Now the Switzerland team will play in the second tier of the UEFA Nations League. After being relegated in 2024, they will face North Macedonia, Scotland and Slovenia in the coming months.
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