BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Switzerland coach Murat Yakin has kept his job for next year's European Championship after the national soccer federation on Tuesday resisted calls to fire him.
The Swiss qualified for Euro 2024 despite a run of eight qualifying games since June when the team beat only Andorra. Leads were wasted by conceding late goals amid reports of tension between the coach and senior players Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji.
The vote of confidence came four days before Yakin is due at the Euro 2024 draw in Hamburg, Germany.
“Even though we have drawn four matches and lost once in the last qualifying matches, Murat Yakin has our full confidence,” Swiss soccer federation president Dominique Blanc said in a statement.
Yakin’s hold on the job seemed shakier after Swiss coach Urs Fischer became available after being fired by Union Berlin, which he led from Germany's second division to the Champions League.
Speculation also centered on Lucien Favre, the former coach of Borussia Dortmund and Nice, who also is Swiss and free to be hired.
Swiss soccer federation official Pierluigi Tami said Yakin “convinced us to remain the man for the job.”
Yakin has coached Switzerland since August 2021 and advanced to last year's World Cup by finishing above Italy in a qualifying group. In Qatar, Switzerland won group games against Cameroon and Serbia before being eliminated by Portugal 6-1 in the round of 16.
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