Granit Xhaka Under Investigation for Forged Covid-19 Certificate
Granit Xhaka, the captain and heartbeat of Switzerland’s national team, is under criminal investigation in his home country over allegations he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate.
Prosecutors in Lucerne confirmed they have opened proceedings to determine whether the 33-year-old used a “false or forged” certificate in 2022, at a time when proof of vaccination was required in Switzerland for certain trips abroad and access to various venues.
Xhaka, now at Sunderland but then playing for Arsenal, addressed the allegations in a candid social media statement on Monday. He admitted he had harboured “mistrust” towards the vaccine and said he had been “influenced by worries and uncertainty.”
“In this troubled state of mind I acquired a vaccine certificate, instead of clarifying my unanswered questions in the proper way,” he wrote. “Today I see clearly, that this way was not correct. It was a mistake. I'm sorry.
“I take responsibility for this decision, will engage with the process of establishing the facts and fully co-operate with the relevant authorities.”
Swiss public health officials underlined that there was never a blanket legal obligation for citizens to hold a Covid-19 certificate. But without one, people were shut out of many activities and venues, and faced restrictions on travel. Those rules remained in force domestically until spring 2022, after which certificates were still issued mainly so people could meet entry requirements in other countries.
As the legal process begins, the fallout on the pitch has been immediate.
The Swiss Football Association announced that Xhaka, the country’s record appearance holder with 152 caps, has withdrawn from the squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Scotland, North Macedonia and Slovenia. The decision, the federation said, was taken jointly by the player and the national team management, with Xhaka’s long-term role to be addressed only after this international window.
Switzerland travel to face North Macedonia and Scotland on 26 and 29 September, before hosting Slovenia and North Macedonia in early October. They will do so without the man who has worn the armband and set the tone for his country for years.
At club level, Sunderland manager Regis le Bris kept his distance from the controversy when asked after the Black Cats’ defeat at Manchester City on Sunday.
“It is not my area to speak about those problems or situations,” he said. “My area is football. About football, he is really good.”
Xhaka captained Switzerland at the World Cup earlier this year, leading them to the quarter-finals before they were knocked out by eventual runners-up Argentina. Now, as prosecutors sift through the details of a certificate obtained in the fraught days of the pandemic, Switzerland must confront an uncomfortable question: what does the future of their most-capped player look like from here?
