Granit Xhaka has been withdrawn from the Switzerland squad after admitting that he obtained a fake Covid vaccination certificate in 2022, at a time when he was still an Arsenal player. The Sunderland and Switzerland captain has apologised for what he described as a “mistake” and will sit out his country’s four forthcoming Nations League matches.
In a statement issued through Instagram, Xhaka said he had decided against being inoculated against the virus. “In recent days there has been much reporting about a matter from my past. I would like to address this personally,” he wrote. He explained that at the time he was “personally very uncertain” and had “serious concerns” about the Covid-19 vaccination, feeling deep distrust of the vaccine and being “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,” he added. “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.”
Xhaka is expected to be questioned by the prosecutor’s office in Lucerne next week. The office is deciding whether any criminal proceedings should be initiated over the alleged issue of a series of false Covid certificates by a doctor based in the Swiss city during the pandemic. The doctor, who was first investigated in 2023, has denied the allegations. A spokesperson for the Lucerne Cantonal Prosecutor’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”.
Should charges be brought, Xhaka could face a heavy fine or, theoretically, a five-year prison sentence. However, the imposition of a custodial punishment of that kind is understood to be extremely unlikely.
The midfielder tested positive for Covid in September 2022 and did not feature in Switzerland’s internationals that month. Now 33 and due to turn 34 on Sunday, he has been capped 152 times by his country. He left Arsenal for Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 and arrived at the Stadium of Light two years later. Sunderland, who made clear that Xhaka was with Arsenal in 2022, have said they are not commenting on the matter.