Silberbauer said the existing relationship with Simpson was a big factor in him taking the job. “It’s important, for sure, that this came from someone you can trust, who you don’t have to background check at all. I know what he’s about, and when he talks, I listen.”

Simpson has yet to rejoin the first team — even for training — since he suffered a badly broken leg in the final game of the 2011-12 season.

BSC Young Boys released a statement on Thursday on the status of Canadian national-team midfielder Josh Simpson, who broke his tibia, fibula and ankle in Wednesday’s Swiss League finale.

On Wednesday, Simpson left BSC Young Boys’ final game of the Swiss league season, after he was brought down by FC Basel’s German defender, Markus Steinhofer. According to the match report on BSC Young Boys’ official website, Simpson suffered “a broken tibia, fibula and ankle.”

The Canadian midfielder came on as a 67th-minute sub as his new Swiss team, BSC Young Boys, beat Sion 1-0 in Sunday in Swiss league action.

Not an injury. Not a flu. It’s an eligibility issue that’s keeping Simpson off the field. And for Canadian soccer fans, it’s a scary proposition.

Simpson has been curiously absent since signing with the Swiss side during the January transfer window. Since his signing, BSC has played three friendlies —— against Dinamo Kyiv, Ekranas and Dinamo Tiflis — and one league match (a win this pas weekend over Servette), and Simpson hasn't featured in any of them.

In fact, Dr. Kirsch stated that Simpson launched a case with FIFA against Manisaspor in August 2011 over alleged missed payments to the midfielder.