Granit Xhaka has admitted to obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate in 2022. The Sunderland midfielder and Switzerland captain, who was playing for Arsenal at the time, issued a statement on Instagram Monday apologizing for what he described as a “mistake” made in a “state of emotional turmoil”. “At the time, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns regarding the Covid-19 vaccination,” Xhaka wrote. “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”.
The Granit Xhaka fake certificate admission came after Swiss authorities confirmed he was under criminal investigation. The Lucerne Public Prosecutor’s Office is examining whether Xhaka fraudulently obtained the certificate from a doctor whose practice was searched by police in 2023. The doctor, who denies the allegations, is also under investigation. Xhaka is expected to be questioned by prosecutors next week as they determine whether criminal proceedings should be opened. If charged and convicted, he could face a heavy fine or, theoretically, up to five years in prison, though a custodial sentence is understood to be extremely unlikely.
The Swiss Football Association confirmed that Xhaka will not participate in the upcoming training camp or the four Nations League matches against North Macedonia, Scotland, and Slovenia . “We jointly concluded that it is in the team’s best interest to complete this training camp without him,” Swiss FA president Peter Knabel said in a statement. “Our priority now is to calm the situation and focus entirely on the team”. Xhaka, Switzerland’s most-capped men’s player of all time with 152 appearances, said he “takes responsibility” for the decision and is “cooperating fully with the relevant authorities”.
