Granit Xhaka's Fake Covid Certificate Admission Triggers Criminal Probe and Squad Crisis

Granit Xhaka has admitted obtaining a fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination certificate in 2022, a confession that has pulled Switzerland's captain out of the national squad and into a live criminal investigation. The Sunderland midfielder will be questioned by the prosecutor's office in Lucerne next week as authorities decide whether to bring charges of fraud and document forgery, the Guardian reports.

This is not a case of a player quietly clearing the air on social media and moving on. It is a formal inquiry with a theoretical five-year prison sentence attached, even if that outcome is considered highly unlikely, and it has already cost Switzerland their captain for four Nations League matches.

What Xhaka Admitted, And When It Happened

Xhaka was an Arsenal player in 2022 when he obtained the fake certificate rather than pursuing his vaccine concerns through proper medical channels. In a statement posted to Instagram, he described the period as one of confusion and fear about the vaccine itself.

"In this turbulent emotional state, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my open questions through the proper channels. Today I clearly see this was not the right course of action. It was a mistake. I am sorry," Xhaka wrote.

A Positive Test Within Weeks

The timeline matters here. Xhaka tested positive for Covid in September 2022 and missed Switzerland's fixtures that month, a detail that now reads very differently in light of his admission. He has since moved clubs twice, joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 before arriving at Sunderland in 2025, where he now captains the side.

talkSPORT and the Guardian both confirm the essential sequence: an admission this week, immediate withdrawal from the Switzerland squad, and a scheduled appearance before Lucerne prosecutors. Neither outlet suggests any inconsistency in the facts as they stand, though talkSPORT frames the story more squarely around the police probe while the Guardian foregrounds Xhaka's own statement.

The Lucerne Doctor Scandal: A Wider Fraud Investigation

Xhaka's case did not emerge in isolation. It is one thread of a broader investigation into a doctor based in Lucerne who is accused of issuing a series of false Covid certificates during the pandemic. That doctor was first investigated in 2023 and has denied the allegations, according to the Guardian's reporting.

Why This Is Surfacing Now

The three-year gap between the original doctor investigation and Xhaka's public admission suggests Swiss authorities have been working through a list of certificate recipients, of which Xhaka appears to be a high-profile name. This is the actual origin of the story: not a spontaneous confession, but a legal process closing in that made a pre-emptive statement the sensible option.

• 2023: Lucerne doctor first investigated over allegedly false certificates
• September 2022: Xhaka obtains a fraudulent certificate while at Arsenal
• September 2026: Xhaka admits the offence publicly and is withdrawn from the Switzerland squad

Legal Stakes: What Charges and Penalties Xhaka Could Face

A spokesperson for the Lucerne Cantonal Prosecutor's Office set out the scope of the inquiry in stark terms.

"The aim [of the inquiries] is to clarify whether there has been conduct relevant under criminal law in connection with the possible fraudulent obtaining of a false certification and/or document forgery," the spokesperson said.

Fine Likely, Prison Improbable

Should charges be brought, Xhaka could theoretically face up to five years in prison under Swiss law, but a custodial sentence of any length is understood to be extremely unlikely. A heavy fine is the far more realistic outcome, consistent with how Swiss authorities have typically handled similar certificate-fraud cases stemming from the pandemic. For bettors and fans assessing the fallout, the real risk to Xhaka is reputational and disciplinary rather than a spell behind bars.

Switzerland's Nations League Squad Without Its Captain

Xhaka, capped 152 times by Switzerland, will miss all four of his country's upcoming Nations League fixtures. That means Switzerland face this run without the player who has effectively been the leader of their midfield for the best part of a decade.

The Fixture List That Loses Its Captain

• Away to North Macedonia
• Away to Scotland
• Home to Slovenia
• Home to North Macedonia

Losing a captain with Xhaka's experience and dead-ball responsibility for four consecutive matches, including a tricky away trip to Scotland, is a genuine tactical blow, not a cosmetic one. Squad markets and manager selections will need to account for a reshuffled leadership structure and altered midfield balance across all four games.

Sunderland's Silence And What Comes Next

Sunderland have told the Guardian they will not comment on the matter, a stance that is logical given the offence dates to 2022, when Xhaka was contracted to Arsenal, well before his move to the Stadium of Light in 2025. The club's silence is not evasive so much as procedurally accurate: this is a Swiss legal matter concerning conduct that predates his Sunderland tenure entirely.

Domestic Football Largely Unaffected For Now

There is no indication that Sunderland intend to take internal disciplinary action, and nothing in the reporting suggests the Premier League or English football authorities have any jurisdiction here. The situation remains a Swiss criminal matter, run through the Lucerne prosecutor's office, with football consequences currently confined to the international stage.

What Happens Next

Xhaka is due to be questioned by prosecutors in Lucerne next week, a session that should clarify whether formal charges follow. Given the emphasis from Swiss authorities that a custodial sentence is unlikely, the more probable near-term outcome is a fine and a formal record, rather than any prolonged legal saga.

For Switzerland, the immediate question is squad management through four Nations League matches against North Macedonia, Scotland and Slovenia without their captain. Whether Xhaka returns to the fold once the legal process concludes will likely depend on the outcome of next week's questioning and any subsequent charging decision from Lucerne.

The wider doctor-led certificate scandal is also worth watching. If Lucerne prosecutors proceed against the doctor at the centre of the case, Xhaka's admission may not be the last high-profile name to surface from that investigation.