Sweden scorer apologizes after striking against Tunisia, the country he once considered representing

Sweden opened its World Cup Group G campaign against Tunisia in Monterrey on Monday, and Yasin Ayari put the Swedes ahead in the seventh minute with a powerful finish after a poor save by Abdelmouhib Chamaakh. The 22-year-old hit the rebound from just outside the box and the shot was clocked at 119 km/h.

Ayari did not celebrate the goal. Instead, he raised his hands in apology because of his Tunisian roots through his father, even though he plays for Sweden. His mother is of Moroccan descent, which also means he could have represented Morocco in another scenario.

The match carried extra personal history for Ayari. In 2021, when he was 17, Tunisia approached him with an offer to switch allegiance ahead of the 2022 World Cup, but he chose to stay with Sweden. According to his father, that decision was shaped by family advice. “My son already wanted to move to play for Tunisia,” his father said, “but I asked him to represent Sweden instead, this is the country that received him, and this is the country that developed him. He had to give something back.”

Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi also acknowledged Ayari’s choice. “I know Yasin,” he said recently. “He made his choice and I really respect him for that. He is a good player and I will wish him good luck after the match, but only after the match.”