Dereck Kutesa has been called up for the national team for the first time since March. A month ago, he was still threatening to switch nations. That no longer seems to be an issue.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- After Dereck Kutesa was left out of the last national team squad, he threatened to switch nations to Angola.
- Now the in-form Servette goalscorer has been called up for the Swiss national team for the first time since March.
- The change of nation now seems to be off the table. Kutesa: "Like every Swiss player, my goal is to play for the national team."
- Servette will host FC Zurich on Saturday evening in the top-of-the-table clash. blue Sport will broadcast live (kick-off 20:30).
Murat Yakin's line-up for the relegation battle in the Nations League has caused a surprise or two, nominating a newcomer in Miro Muheim and bringing back a number of players who have not played a role in the national team in recent months.
Dereck Kutesa is one of them. The 26-year-old from Geneva is playing an outstanding season and leads the scoring charts in the Super League with 9 goals in 13 games. "Of course I was very pleased," said Kutesa on SRF about his nomination.
The anger about not being called up in October is gone. A month ago, Kutesa made it clear publicly that he was considering playing for his second home country Angola. "I wasn't angry. Maybe I thought about it for two or three days, but I had to carry on, play and try to recommend myself," he says now.
The disappointment has faded after the current call-up. "I am Swiss. That's why a move to Angola was never really on the table to begin with. Like every Swiss, my goal is to play for the national team," says Kutesa.
"I want to play for the national team"
In March of this year, the Servette attacker was with the national team for the first time and was allowed to play 25 minutes in the test match against Ireland. As this was not a competitive match, a change of nation would still have been possible. And Kutesa was obviously considering it.
When he wasn't called up for the last group game despite good performances, he thought to himself that there were perhaps six or seven players in his position who were ahead of him. "I thought to myself: if they don't need me, I might have the chance to play for my second nation. But it's clear to me now that I want to play for the national team and help the team."
If Kutesa continues to score as he has done recently, nothing should stand in the way of further call-ups. And who knows, he might even fire Servette to their first league title since 1999. A win against FC Zurich on Saturday evening would see Geneva take the lead in the table.
Kutesa's challenge: "We play every game to win it. If someone asks me if I want to be champion, I say: Yes!" blue Sport will broadcast the top Super League match live. Kick-off is at 8.30 pm.