Granit Xhaka out of Switzerland squad amid Covid certificate probe

Granit Xhaka is out of the Switzerland squad for the coming Nations League fixtures after admitting he obtained a fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate. Prosecutors in Lucerne have opened an investigation.

The Switzerland captain is 33 and plays for Sunderland. He was at Arsenal in 2022, when the certificate is alleged to have been obtained and when one was needed for some travel abroad. The public prosecutor's office of the city of Lucerne said it is examining whether any criminal behaviour took place in obtaining a "false or forged" certificate.

Xhaka posted a statement on social media on Monday. "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." He said he had a "mistrust" towards the vaccine and had been "influenced by worries and uncertainty", and that he would "fully co-operate with the relevant authorities".

The Swiss office of public health said there was never a general legal requirement to hold such a certificate. It was needed for access to various venues, activities and travel, and the domestic measures ran until spring 2022.

After meeting the Swiss Football Association board, Xhaka agreed to withdraw from the camp. Record reports he will miss four Nations League games. The Swiss are in Belek, Turkey, preparing for away fixtures against North Macedonia and Scotland, then home games in Lucerne against Slovenia and North Macedonia in October. He is the country's record appearance holder with 152 caps.

The federation said, as cited by Record, that it will reassess the situation with Xhaka at the end of the international window and discuss next steps.