Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka has been withdrawn from the national squad after admitting he obtained a forged COVID-19 vaccination certificate, the Swiss Football Association (SFV) has confirmed.
The 33-year-old midfielder, who plays for Sunderland in the Premier League, is now under investigation by the public prosecutor's office of the city of Lucerne. Prosecutors are seeking to determine whether any criminal behaviour took place in obtaining a "false or forged" certificate.
Xhaka is alleged to have acquired the certificate in 2022, when such documents were required in Switzerland for access to various activities, venues and international travel. The Swiss office of public health confirmed there was never a general legal requirement to hold such a certificate, but possession was necessary to participate in a range of activities and to meet entry requirements when travelling abroad. These measures remained in place until spring 2022, after which certificates continued to be issued primarily for international travel purposes.
On Monday, Xhaka posted a public statement on social media acknowledging his actions and apologising.
"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."
The decision for Xhaka to withdraw from the Swiss camp was reached jointly by the player and SFV leadership. The association said it would discuss his future involvement with the team after the current international window concludes.
SFV president Peter Knaebel welcomed Xhaka's willingness to take responsibility publicly.
"Granit Xhaka informed us about the situation yesterday evening and told us at the same time that he would comment publicly on it and take responsibility," Knaebel said. "We welcome Granit taking this step. At the same time, we came to the joint conclusion that it is in the best interest of the team to complete this gathering without him."
Knaebel added that the focus must now shift to maintaining calm ahead of the team's upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.
Switzerland gathered in Belek, Turkey, on Monday to prepare for a series of Nations League matches. They face North Macedonia and Scotland away on 26 and 29 September respectively, before hosting Slovenia and North Macedonia in early October.
Xhaka is Switzerland's all-time record appearance holder with 152 caps. He made his international debut in 2011 and captained the side at the World Cup earlier this year, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Argentina. He was playing for Arsenal at the time the certificate was allegedly obtained in 2022.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris declined to comment on the allegations following his side's 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."
