Granit Xhaka Under Criminal Investigation for Forged Covid-19 Certificate

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

Prosecutors in Lucerne have confirmed they are examining whether the 33-year-old Sunderland midfielder, who was playing for Arsenal at the time, committed an offence in securing what they describe as a “false or forged” certificate in 2022.

Prosecutors step in

The public prosecutor’s office in the city of Lucerne said an investigation is under way to determine if any criminal behaviour was involved in how Xhaka obtained the document. No further details on potential charges have been made public, but the focus is on the authenticity of the certificate and the circumstances around it.

At the time, Switzerland did not impose a blanket legal obligation on citizens to hold a Covid certificate. It did, though, make it a key to daily life: entry to certain venues, events and, crucially for an international footballer, some forms of travel abroad depended on it. Those rules remained in place until spring 2022, with certificates still being issued afterwards mainly to meet foreign entry requirements.

Xhaka: “It was a mistake. I'm sorry.”

Xhaka moved first in the public arena. On Monday he posted a statement on social media, admitting he had not trusted the vaccine and had allowed fear to guide him.

He wrote that he had a “mistrust” towards the Covid-19 vaccine and had been “influenced by worries and uncertainty”. In that mindset, he said, he chose the wrong path.

“In this troubled state of mind I acquired a vaccine certificate, instead of clarifying my unanswered questions in the proper way,” he said. “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.”

His words mark a rare public admission from a current international captain at the centre of a criminal probe, and they land just as Switzerland move into a key Nations League window.

Swiss FA reaction and international fallout

The Swiss Football Association responded quickly. It confirmed that Xhaka, the country’s record appearance holder with 152 caps, has withdrawn from the national squad ahead of their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Scotland, North Macedonia and Slovenia.

The decision, the association stressed, was made jointly by the player and the national team management. They will park any long-term calls for now, saying Xhaka’s future with the national side will be discussed only after the current international window closes.

Switzerland face North Macedonia and Scotland away on 26 and 29 September, before home matches against Slovenia and North Macedonia in early October. For the first time in years, they will go into a competitive block of fixtures without the man who has been their heartbeat and lightning rod in equal measure.

Xhaka captained his country at the World Cup earlier this year, where Switzerland reached the quarter-finals before being knocked out by eventual runners-up Argentina. His status in the national setup has rarely been in question. Now, it is.

Club silence at Sunderland

On the club front, Sunderland have chosen to stay out of the storm. After the Black Cats’ defeat at Manchester City on Sunday, head coach Regis le Bris was asked directly about the allegations surrounding his midfielder.

He shut the door on any comment.

“It is not my area to speak about those problems or situations,” he said. “My area is football. About football, he is really good.”

For Sunderland, the line is clear: let the legal process run, keep the discussion on the pitch. For Switzerland, the issue cuts deeper, touching the captaincy, the dressing room, and the image of a player who has long divided opinion but rarely ducked responsibility.

The investigation in Lucerne will now run its course. Xhaka has admitted fault, promised cooperation and stepped away from the national team for the moment. The next question is blunt and unavoidable: when the dust settles, will Switzerland still want their most-capped player at the centre of their project, or has this episode redrawn the map of his international career?