The world football community has expressed mourning for Swiss player Florijana Ismaili when rescuers confirmed the discovery of the ill-fated girl’s body after a swimming accident at Lake Como (Italy).

The 24-year-old female player who has 33 caps for the Swiss national team was listed as missing on June 29 after jumping from a boat into Lake Como and then failing to surface. According to Italian rescue forces, her body was found at a depth of 204 meters of Lake Como.

Ismaili’s accident shocked the Swiss football scene when the striker was one of the most experienced players in home football. She was the captain of the BSC Young Boys Club and participated in the 2015 women’s soccer World Cup after being summoned to the team a year earlier.

Nils Nielsen, coach of the Swiss women’s team, sadly shared: “I was very sad and dizzy. It was hard to accept that Flori was gone. The smile always appears on her face and her cheerful nature inspires us. She is the type of person who always wants to face challenges and set an example for others. I can imagine how people I know and are closer to Flori than I feel. So I would like to share with them in this time of grief”.

Xerdan Shaqiri – the Swiss player who has just won the Champions League under the Liverpool shirt, expressed his regret for Ismaili’s sudden departure on his Instagram page. “I was very shocked by Florijana Ismaili’s death. My family and I would like to express my condolences to the Ismaili family and those who love her”, Shaqiri wrote.

Ismaili has been in the best team of Swiss women’s football for four consecutive years, and is sure that she will continue to be on this list when the election for the 2018-2019 season takes place.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, meanwhile, regrets when Ismaili leaves at a time when the soccer world is focusing on the women’s soccer World Cup. “This is an extremely painful time for the entire football community, especially when we are focusing on the Women’s World Cup. On behalf of FIFA and individuals, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the families and friends of Florijana, to the Swiss Football Federation and the BSC Young Boys”.