Switzerland’s latest squad gathering has been unsettined by the return, and swift removal, of a forward whose recent international record has already carried its share of drama. The player had been selected again by the Swiss national side after a World Cup dismissal against Argentina, only to be left out following another disciplinary controversy.
The earlier incident came in the quarter-final against the Albiceleste, where the attacker was sent off. His renewed involvement with the Helvetic squad suggested an opportunity to move beyond that episode, but the recall did not last.
He was subsequently discarded after being involved in what was judged to be an obvious attempt to win an advantage through simulation. For Switzerland, it leaves a familiar footballing question hanging over the camp: whether a player’s ability can be separated from the incidents that continue to follow him from one international window to the next.
