Veteran soccer player and Premier League's Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has admitted to obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Xhaka has withdrawn from the Switzerland squad after admitting to receiving a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate in 2022.

Xhaka, who captains Sunderland and Switzerland and was an Arsenal player during the incident, has apologized and admitted to his “mistake.” He is now set to undergo a hearing and will miss representing his nation at the upcoming Nations League.

Xhaka is set to be questioned by the prosecutor’s office in Lucerne next week, which will determine if criminal charges will be filed concerning the alleged distribution of a series of false COVID-19 certificates by a doctor in the Swiss city during the pandemic. The allegations have been denied by the doctor, who was first investigated in 2023.

Xhaka has admitted to his wrongdoing and shared a statement on social media regarding this. “At the time, I was personally very unsettled and had serious reservations regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. I harboured deep mistrust of the vaccine and was gripped by fear and uncertainty. In this agitated state of mind, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my outstanding questions through the proper channels.

“Today I see clearly that this path was not the right one. It was a mistake. I am sorry. I accept responsibility for this decision, am addressing the examination of the facts, and am cooperating fully with the relevant authorities,” Xhaka shared via his Instagram stories. (Quotes translated and obtained via GiveMeSport)

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Xhaka tested positive for COVID-19 in Sept. 2021 and did not feature in Switzerland’s games against Italy and Northern Ireland that month. Xhaka, who has captained 152 games for Switzerland, will now miss the upcoming four Nations League matches.

Xhaka was a part of Arsenal during the controversy and left the North London club to join Bayer Leverkusen in 2023. He later left the German club to join Sunderland in 2025.