Granit Xhaka Under Investigation for Forged Covid-19 Certificate

Granit Xhaka, the captain and standard-bearer of Swiss football, is under criminal investigation in his home country over allegations he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate.

Prosecutors in the city of Lucerne confirmed they have opened proceedings to examine whether any offence was committed in relation to a "false or forged" certificate, allegedly acquired in 2022 at a time when proof of vaccination was still required in Switzerland for certain travel and activities.

Xhaka, now 33 and playing for Sunderland after his long spell at Arsenal, moved first in the court of public opinion. On Monday he published a detailed statement on social media, admitting he had not trusted the vaccine and allowed fear to guide his decision.

He described having a "mistrust" towards the Covid-19 jab and said he had been "influenced by worries and uncertainty". In that mindset, he said, he chose the wrong route.

"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."

At the time in question, Switzerland did not impose a blanket legal requirement for citizens to hold a Covid-19 certificate. But life without one was heavily curtailed. The Swiss office of public health confirmed that certificates were needed to enter various venues, take part in certain activities and to travel, leaving those without one effectively excluded from large parts of public life.

Those domestic measures remained in place until spring 2022. Even after they were lifted, certificates continued to be issued mainly to help people meet foreign entry rules when travelling abroad. It was within that landscape that Xhaka is alleged to have obtained a forged document.

The fallout has already hit the national team.

The Swiss Football Association announced that Xhaka, the country’s record appearance holder with 152 caps, has withdrawn from the squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Scotland, North Macedonia and Slovenia. His decision came shortly after his public statement and was, the federation said, taken jointly by the player and the national-team management.

They made it clear this is not the end of the discussion. The association said Xhaka’s future with the team will be addressed after the current international window, once the September and early October matches are out of the way.

Switzerland face away trips to North Macedonia and Scotland on 26 and 29 September, before hosting Slovenia and then North Macedonia in early October. For the first time in years, they will tackle a competitive block of fixtures without the midfielder who has been their emotional and tactical reference point.

At club level, Sunderland are keeping their distance from the storm. Asked about the allegations after the Black Cats’ defeat at Manchester City on Sunday, head coach Regis le Bris refused to be drawn.

"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 final phase of the pandemic, the man who has long been Switzerland’s on-pitch constant faces a far more uncertain battle off it.