A full international between 2008 and 2013, he won 31 caps for the Sweden national team and was named in their UEFA Euro 2012 squad.

Safari played his first European game in a Basel shirt on 30 July 2008 in a 1–1 Champions League qualifying match draw with IFK Göteborg at Ullevi.

Basel would be matched with Barcelona, Sporting CP and Shakhtar Donetsk, but would end the string in last position winning just one point after a 1–1 draw in Camp Nou.

[10] At the end of the 2008–09 Super League season Basel were third in the table, seven points behind new champions Zürich and one adrift of runners-up Young Boys.

After a goalless 90 minutes and extra time YB decided the penalty shoot-out 3–2 and advanced to the final to become runners-up, as Sion became cup winners.

Safari scored his first goal for the club on 7 February 2010 in the home game in the St. Jakob-Park as Basel won 4–0 against BSC Young Boys.

Therefore they dropped to the 2010–11 Europa League knockout phase, but here they were eliminated by Spartak Moscow due to a last minute goal against them.

[17] With Basel, Safari won the Swiss Championship for the second time at the end of the 2010–11 season, topping the table just one point clear of rivals Zürich.

He played his first European game for the team in the Europa League qualifying away match over Bursaspor in the Bursa Atatürk Stadium on 18 August 2011.

The next season, Safari started for Basel as a left-back where they made it to the knockout stages of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League.

Basel entered the Champions League in the group stage and reached the knockout phase as on 9 December 2014 they managed a 1–1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool.

[30] On 18 January 2016 it was announced that Safari would return to Malmö FF when his contract with FC Basel expired at the end of the 2015–16 season.

[31] He scored a goal in the Allsvenskan on 11 April 2017 against GIF Sundsvall and was named vice-captain after Markus Rosenberg.

[35] Safari played his final professional match on 6 December 2020 in a 4–0 win over Östersund, raising the Lennart Johansson Trophy afterwards and receiving a tribute from the likes of Walter Samuel and Roger Federer.

[41] He played in all of the matches, which were a 1–0 win over Costa Rica, a 2–0 defeat to the United States, and a 0–0 draw with Turkey.

[43] Safari has been praised for his crosses and ability to adapt to both defensive and attacking roles on the left side of play.

[44][45] Safari is the main character of a children's book that intends to promote autism awareness after his sons Emiliano and Leon were diagnosed.