Granit Xhaka says he has been handed a suspended fine of 150,000 Swiss francs (£136,000) for obtaining a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate.
The 34-year-old, described as Sunderland and Switzerland captain, said the penalty was imposed by summary judgment and amounts to 50 daily rates of CHF 3,000 (£2,726) each. In a statement written in German on Instagram, he explained that the fine is suspended for two years provided he does not commit any further offences, and that he has already paid the court costs. “A few weeks ago, I spoke personally here and said that I would take responsibility for my decision. I stand by that,” he wrote. “I accept the decision and take responsibility for my actions. Thank you for the many messages of support over the past few weeks. They mean a lot to me.”
The certificate is alleged to have been obtained in 2022, at a time when it was a requirement in Switzerland for some travel abroad. Xhaka was playing for Arsenal that year and, on 21 September, posted a statement on social media saying he had a “mistrust” towards the vaccine and had been “influenced by worries and uncertainty”. Following that initial statement, he withdrew from Switzerland’s camp for their Nations League matches against Scotland, North Macedonia and Slovenia.
The Swiss office of public health has confirmed that while there was never a general legal requirement to obtain or hold such a certificate, it was needed for access to various activities, venues and travel, meaning participation was restricted for anyone who did not possess one. Those measures in Switzerland remained in place until the spring of 2022. After that point, Covid-19 certificates continued to be issued, primarily to enable members of the public to meet entry requirements when travelling abroad.
Xhaka is Switzerland’s record appearance holder with 152 caps, and he captained his country at the World Cup, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Argentina. At club level, the midfielder joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025.
He is expected to return to action when Sunderland host Brighton on Saturday (15:00 BST). Black Cats boss Regis le Bris said: “No comment on external topics but [from] what I’ve seen during the international break, he has trained really well. It’s positive. He’s in a good place football-wise and for me that is the most important.”