Switzerland's defender Stephan Lichtsteiner (R) receives a yellow card from French referee Clement Turpin during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group E football match between Switzerland and Costa Rica at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on June 27, 2018. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP)

Lichtsteiner to miss Switzerland’s World Cup knock out game

Jun 28, 2018

Stephan Lichtsteiner will miss Switzerland’s World Cup knock-out tie against Sweden after picking up another booking against Costa Rica.

Lichtsteiner, who captains his country, was booked in the 37^th minutes for ‘roughing’, ruling him out of the tie that sees the Swiss in with a real shout of making the quarter-finals.

They have made the quarters twice before, the last time in 1954, but have never got any further. This is their 11^th World Cup.

Speaking recently, former referee, Jonas Eriksson, said that the Arsenal new boy was ‘difficult to deal with.’

“I have met several international players and to judge a person, you have to meet them several times – and not just once when they have a bad day because everyone can have it,” he told Swedish television channel SVT.

“But I have met Lichtsteiner several times and he is one of the most unpleasant players I met.

“You cannot talk to him, he gets more and more angry.

“When I’m trying to explain [my decision], I’m trying to be humble, but he’s hard to get in touch with. It creates a bad mood.”

With Arsenal often accused of being a pushover, this all sounds like great news to me – as long as he can avoid too many domestic suspensions, of course.