Fulham striker Jonah Kusi-Asare missed Sweden U21 game after missing flight

Fulham striker Jonah Kusi-Asare missed Sweden Under-21s' 2-0 victory over North Macedonia after failing to make the team's flight, outgoing manager Daniel Bäckström has confirmed.

The 19-year-old had been included in Sweden's squad for their two European Championship qualifiers during the international break but was left out of the team for the 3-0 defeat to Poland on 30 September.

Bäckström intended to use Kusi-Asare against North Macedonia on Monday. Those plans changed when the forward missed Sweden's flight on Sunday, prompting the coach to call up Sixten Gustafsson as his replacement.

There had been no public explanation from Sweden for Kusi-Asare's absence before the North Macedonia fixture.

Speaking to Fotbollskanalen after his final game in charge of the Under-21 side, Bäckström explained what happened.

“We travelled down on Sunday and Jonah wasn’t on the flight because he missed it,” Bäckström said.

“That’s when I made the decision to call Sixten Gustafsson up instead so that we could start from the start.”

Sweden were also without Strasbourg's Genesis Antwi, who is on loan from Chelsea, because of illness.

Bäckström was asked whether replacing Kusi-Asare amounted to disciplinary action against the Fulham forward.

The coach rejected that interpretation and said the change was instead made because he needed certainty when preparing his squad.

“No, it’s not about punishment,” Bäckström said. “But I told Jonah that I’ve decided to do things differently.

“He was selected from the start, but when things turned out the way they did, it worked out better for me and my plans to call in a replacement.

“Sixten was ready, and there’s not really much more to say about it.”

There is therefore no indication from Bäckström's comments that Sweden imposed any formal sanction on Kusi-Asare.

The incident comes during a frustrating period at club level for Kusi-Asare.

Fulham initially signed the Sweden youngster on loan from Bayern Munich in September 2025. He subsequently made 10 appearances totalling 122 minutes without registering a goal or assist.

That did not prevent Fulham from making his move permanent during the summer, with Kusi-Asare reportedly choosing the London club despite having other options in England.

He has yet to feature for Álvaro Arbeloa's side this season, however, meaning the international break had presented an opportunity for competitive minutes.

Instead, missing the flight meant he was unable to take part in Sweden's victory.

Kusi-Asare will return to Fulham looking to work his way into Arbeloa's plans after missing another opportunity for minutes with Sweden Under-21s. Bäckström has made clear that no disciplinary punishment was involved, leaving the striker to focus on earning his first club appearance of the season.