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Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka is under criminal investigation by the Lucerne Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office over allegations that he obtained a false Covid-19 vaccination certificate in 2022 according to the prosecutor’s office. The Sunderland midfielder who was at Arsenal at the time issued a statement on Instagram admitting he had obtained the certificate due to mistrust of the vaccine and uncertainty at the time. “In this troubled state of mind I acquired a vaccine certificate instead of clarifying my unanswered questions in the proper way” Xhaka stated. “Today I see clearly that this way was not correct. It was a mistake. I’m sorry.” The 33-year-old added that he takes responsibility and will fully cooperate with authorities.[[1]](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c3qjkpgengn7o?at_campaign=rss&at_medium=RSS)
The Lucerne Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the probe aims to establish whether criminal behaviour occurred in the fraudulent obtaining of a false certification or document forgery a spokesperson told multiple outlets including The Guardian. A doctor in Lucerne whose practice was raided by police in 2023 is also under investigation for allegedly issuing false certificates to several patients according to Swiss media reports citing the authorities. Xhaka is scheduled to be questioned by prosecutors in early October the prosecutor’s office stated. The Swiss Office of Public Health noted that while no general legal requirement existed to hold a certificate such documents were needed for certain activities venues and international travel until spring 2022 with certificates continuing afterward mainly for foreign entry rules.[[2]](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/21/granit-xhaka-admits-receiving-fake-covid-vaccination-certificate)
Xhaka who holds Switzerland’s record with 152 international caps tested positive for Covid-19 in September 2021 and again in January 2022 missing several matches for club and country as a result according to Swiss Football Association records. In March 2022 he had publicly stated that he was vaccinated a claim repeated by his spokesperson Andreas Bantel in initial responses to the investigation. Bantel later confirmed to outlets including the Telegraph that Xhaka had received vaccinations in January and November 2022 but Xhaka’s personal statement on Monday clarified he had not been inoculated and instead acquired the certificate. The player’s admission came after Swiss tabloid Blick first reported the investigation on September 18.[[3]](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/09/21/granit-xhaka-admits-he-faked-covid-vaccine/)
The Swiss Football Association announced that Xhaka has withdrawn from the national team camp for the Nations League fixtures against Scotland North Macedonia and Slovenia this international break. Swiss FA president Peter Knabel welcomed Xhaka’s decision to address the matter directly in a statement released on Monday. Sunderland said in a club statement that the situation would be reassessed with Xhaka following the international window according to reports in The Mirror. Xhaka’s absence leaves Switzerland without its captain for three matches as the team continues its campaign.[[4]](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/granit-xhaka-covid-19-statement-37684195)
The case echoes an earlier admission by former Swiss national team ice hockey coach Patrick Fischer who revealed earlier this year that he had used a fake Covid certificate to attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics dpa international reported. Investigations into fake certificates surged after authorities uncovered networks issuing them without administering vaccines during the pandemic peak. Under Swiss law offences involving document forgery can carry penalties of up to five years imprisonment though sources close to the case indicated a custodial sentence was considered highly unlikely for Xhaka according to reporting by the Times of India. The Lucerne prosecutor’s office has emphasised the presumption of innocence remains in place until conclusions are reached.[[5]](https://dpa-international.com/sports/urn:newsml:dpa.com:20090101:260919-930-710861/)
