“Not about punishment” – Manager shares honest take after Fulham player misses flight

Sweden U21 manager Daniel Bäckström confirmed that Fulham striker Jonah Kusi-Asare missed their 2-0 victory over North Macedonia U21 after missing his flight. Bäckström clarified that replacing him with Sixten Gustafsson was not a punishment, but a practical decision to adjust match plans after the player failed to travel on Sunday.

Kusi-Asare had previously been left out of Sweden's 3-0 defeat against Poland U21 and has yet to feature for Fulham under manager Álvaro Arbeloa this season. The 19-year-old forward was signed permanently by Fulham during the summer transfer window after a prior loan spell from Bayern Munich.