Sven Thomann

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Nedim Bajrami: She took off the red and white Nati dress, but she is not allowed to wear the Albanian red and black.
Blicksport

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Grown in GC: Nedim Bajrami.
DUKAS

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Bajrami im Empoli-Trikot.
PIXSELL / cool focus

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The Swiss Under-21 team defeated England in the EM, Dan Ndoye (left) scored the decisive goal.
keystone-sda.ch

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The U21 team is celebrating without Bajrami.

The man is only 22 years old and yet he is already facing the ruins of his international career! Three weeks have passed since Nedim Bajrami informed the Swiss Football Federation (SFV) about his change of nationality. Albania! The land of the double-headed eagle! A matter close to the heart. The coach of the Swiss Under-21 team, Mauro Lustrinelli, regrets the decision, but also assures that “identification is one of the fundamental values for a player of the Swiss team.” “So we had no choice but to let him go.”

Four games are four too many

Well, three weeks later, Bajrami would like to sit in a time machine. Because he is not allowed to play for Albania at all. In the corresponding FIFA regulations, article 9, paragraph 2b, establishes that the request for a change of association will only be granted if the player “was not yet 21 years old at the time of his last appearance in a match of an official competition of any division football for your current association. »

Too bad Bajrami played a total of four European Championship qualifying matches with Swiss U-Nati after turning 21. Bitter for the Empoli mercenary, who played a key role in qualifying for the U21 European Championship and helped the team qualify for a tournament for the first time in ten years. Instead of going to Slovenia with Switzerland, Bajrami flew with Albania to the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and England. Probably without even knowing that he is not allowed to play for his parents’ country.

SFV leaves the door open

Is there any way to get back to the Swiss team? “A return to the current U21 European Championship campaign is out of the question,” says SFV media director Adrian Arnold. Everything else will be seen. Media: The door is not completely closed yet for the man who played a total of 50 competitive matches for the U-Nati teams in Switzerland.

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FIFA regulations: Nedim Bajrami cannot play for Albania

Four games are four too many

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