Xhaka admits obtaining fake Covid certificate as Swiss prosecutors open investigation

Granit Xhaka has admitted to obtaining a fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate, after the Lucerne public prosecutor’s office in Switzerland opened a formal criminal investigation into the Sunderland captain.

The 33-year-old released a statement on Instagram acknowledging the decision, saying he had been gripped by “deep distrust” of the vaccine during the pandemic and had acted out of “fear and uncertainty.” He stopped short of defending the choice. “Today I clearly see that this was the wrong approach. It was a mistake. I am sorry,” he wrote. “I take responsibility for this decision, am committed to investigating the matter, and am fully cooperating with the relevant authorities.”

Authorities allege that Xhaka obtained the fraudulent certificate from a Swiss doctor whose practice was searched by police in 2023. Prosecutors claim the doctor forged vaccination certificates for some clients rather than administering the vaccine. Simon Kopp, a spokesperson for the Lucerne Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed the investigation, stating its aim was “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.”

Xhaka’s own spokesperson, Andreas Bantel, maintained that the midfielder had in fact been vaccinated against Covid-19, citing confirmation from his doctor that he received a first dose on 25 January 2022 and a second on 11 November 2022. A lawyer representing the doctor at the centre of the investigation also confirmed that she had vaccinated Xhaka.

The apparent contradiction between Xhaka’s admission and his spokesperson’s insistence that he was genuinely vaccinated leaves the precise nature of the alleged offence unresolved — a question the Lucerne prosecutors are now tasked with answering.

Xhaka is Switzerland’s most-capped player of all time, with 152 international appearances. He spent seven years at Arsenal — the period during which the pandemic occurred — before joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, where he won the Bundesliga title under Xabi Alonso. He moved to Sunderland in July 2025 and has made 42 appearances for the club, most recently featuring in a 5-3 Premier League defeat to Manchester City.