Granit Xhaka admits receiving fake Covid vaccination certificate, withdrawn from Switzerland squad
Granit Xhaka has been withdrawn from Switzerland’s squad after admitting he obtained a fake Covid vaccination certificate in 2022 and will be questioned next week by the prosecutor’s office in Lucerne as authorities consider whether to open criminal proceedings; he will miss Switzerland’s forthcoming four Nations League matches.
Xhaka issued an apology for what he called a “mistake” in a statement posted to Instagram and confirmed he had chosen not to be inoculated at the time. “In recent days there has been much reporting about a matter from my past. I would like to address this personally,” he wrote. “At the time, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns regarding the Covid-19 vaccination. I felt deep distrust of the vaccine and was plagued by fear and uncertainty. “In this turbulent emotional state, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my open questions through the proper channels. Today I clearly see this was not the right course of action. It was a mistake. I am sorry. I take responsibility for this decision, am committed to investigating the matter and am co-operating with the relevant authorities”.
The case relates to an alleged series of false Covid certificates supplied by a doctor based in Lucerne; that doctor, first investigated in 2023, has denied the allegations. A spokesperson for the Lucerne Cantonal Prosector’s Office said: “The aim [of the inquiries] is to clarify whether there has been conduct relevant under criminal law in connection with the possible fraudulent obtaining of a false certification and/or document forgery.”
If charges are brought, Xhaka could face a heavy fine or, theoretically, a five-year prison sentence, although the imposition of the latter sanction or any custodial punishment is understood to be extremely unlikely.
Xhaka tested positive for Covid in September 2022 and did not feature in Switzerland’s internationals that month; he was an Arsenal player at the time. The 33-year-old — he turns 34 on Sunday — left north London to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 and arrived at the Stadium of Light two years later.
Given Xhaka was with Arsenal in 2022, Sunderland have told the Guardian they are not commenting on the matter. Xhaka, who has been capped 152 times by Switzerland, will now miss Nations League fixtures away to North Macedonia and Scotland and at home against Slovenia and North Macedonia.
He is due to be questioned next week by the Lucerne prosecutor’s office as it decides whether to pursue criminal proceedings in connection with the alleged false certification.