Philippe Senderos has been included in Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld's 23-man World Cup squad despite an indifferent season at club level.
The 25-year-old has played only a handful of games over the past two terms while out on loan at AC Milan and Everton, but there is no place for fellow Arsenal defender Johan Djourou, who returned to action last weekend after being sidelined for eight months with a knee injury.
Hitzfeld had to name his provisional 30-man squad by Tuesday night and cut it to a final 23 by June 1, but opted to reveal his final selection on Tuesday.
He has largely kept faith with the players who assured qualification, with the surprise addition of 18-year-old Kosovo-born winger Xherdan Shaqiri of Basle.
"For me, it counted as to who had a part in us qualifying for South Africa," Hitzfeld said on how he had finalised his line-up. "Added to this was the right mix between young and old. It is not always the best players that make the best team."
Switzerland will begin their campaign in South Africa against European champions Spain before further Group H matches against Chile and Honduras.
Switzerland squad: Goalkeepers: Diego Benaglio (Wolfsburg), Johnny Leoni (Zurich), Marco Wolfli (Young Boys).
Defenders: Mario Eggimann (Hannover), Stephane Grichting (Auxerre), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Lazio), Philippe Senderos (Arsenal), Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt), Steve Von Bergen (Hertha Berlin), Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria).
Midfielders: Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen), Valon Behrami (West Ham), Gelson Fernandes (St Etienne), Benjamin Huggel (Basle), Gokhan Inler (Udinese), Marco Padalino (Sampdoria), Pirmin Schwegler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Xherdan Shaqiri (Basle).
Forwards: Eren Derdiyok (Bayer Leverkusen), Alexander Frei (Basle), Blaise Nkufo (FC Twente), Marco Streller (Basle), Hakan Yakin (Lucerne).
Relevant links
- World Cup 2010 home
- World Cup fixtures
Source: PA
