Xhaka Risks Football Ban Over Fake Vaccine Certificate

Sunderland and Switzerland national team captain Granit Xhaka faces a potential football ban after admitting to obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. An investigation is currently underway in his home country. If convicted, Xhaka could face up to five years in prison, though a hefty fine is more likely, based on previous cases.

Meanwhile, Xhaka has been dropped from the Swiss squad for the upcoming Nations League matches. The 33-year-old midfielder has since apologized, calling it a “mistake.”

After declining to comment on the criminal investigation following Sunderland's 3-5 Premier League loss to Manchester City on Sunday, Xhaka released a statement on Instagram today.

It reads: “In recent days, much has been reported about an issue from my past. I would like to address this personally. Regarding the COVID-19 vaccination, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns at the time. I felt a deep distrust of the vaccine and was plagued by fear and uncertainty.”

“In this turbulent emotional state, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my open questions in the proper way. Today, I clearly see that this was the wrong approach. It was a mistake. I am sorry. I take responsibility for this decision, commit to cooperating with the investigation into the matter, and am fully collaborating with the relevant authorities.”

Xhaka tested positive for coronavirus during a national team training camp five years ago.

Peter Knäbel, President of the Swiss Football Association, stated: “Granit Xhaka informed us about the situation last night and told us he would speak publicly and take responsibility. We welcome Granit's step to stand up and face the consequences. At the same time, we came to the mutual conclusion that it is in the best interest of the team for this training camp to proceed without him. Our priority now is to calm the situation and focus entirely on the team and the upcoming challenges in the UEFA Nations League. After this international break, we will reassess the situation together with Granit and discuss the next steps.”

Xhaka is subject to a criminal investigation after police seized evidence from a medical practice in Lucerne, indicating that a number of patients had obtained fake COVID vaccination certificates.

A spokesperson for the Lucerne cantonal prosecutor's office stated last week: “The aim is to clarify whether there is criminally relevant conduct in connection with the potentially fraudulent acquisition of a fake certificate and/or forgery of documents.”

A spokesperson for Xhaka responded by announcing that he had been vaccinated in January and November 2022 – which would be after his positive test.

In the same year, former Werder Bremen manager Markus Anfang was banned from football for using a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Anfang was suspended for 12 months and fined approximately £16,700, while his former assistant Florian Junge was suspended for 10 months and fined around £2,500. Both resigned after admitting to obtaining fake vaccination cards to avoid regular testing. They were later allowed to return to coaching that summer.

The following year, Swiss hockey coach Patrick Fischer was fined approximately £35,000 after purchasing a COVID-19 vaccination certificate from social media, which allowed him to travel to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. He was fired when his sentence became public earlier this year.