On 5 April 2011, he stepped down from the national team along with Alexander Frei, after being sharply criticised by home fans following a 0–0 draw with Bulgaria for the Euro 2012 qualifier.
ˌɔn fˈaɪv ˈeɪpɹəl tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ɪlˈɛvən, hiː stˈɛpt dˌaʊn fɹʌmðə nˈæʃənəl tˈiːm ɐlˈɔŋ wɪð ˌælɪɡzˈændɚ fɹˈeɪ, ˈæftɚ bˌiːɪŋ ʃˈɑːɹpli kɹˈɪɾɪsˌaɪzd baɪ hˈoʊm fˈænz fˈɑːloʊɪŋ ɐ zˈiəɹoʊ zˈiəɹoʊ dɹˈɔː wɪð bʌlɡˈɛɹiə fɚðə jˈʊɹɹoʊ tˈuː θˈaʊzənd twˈɛlv kwˈɔlɪfˌaɪɚ.