Xhaka handed suspended £136k fine after admitting forged Covid vaccine certificate

Granit Xhaka has been convicted and handed a suspended fine of £136,266.75 after admitting he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccine certificate in Switzerland in 2022, when proof of vaccination was required to travel abroad from the country.

The Sunderland midfielder, who was playing for Arsenal at the time of the offence, accepted responsibility and confirmed he has already paid the associated court fees. Under the terms of the penalty order, the fine will not be enforced provided Xhaka commits no further offences during a two-year probation period.

Xhaka addressed the verdict directly on Instagram, stating: “I have been convicted by a summary penalty order for obtaining a false certification, receiving a suspended monetary penalty of 50 daily rates of CHF 3,000, with a two-year probation period. That means the penalty will not be enforced as long as I do not commit any further offences during this period. I have already paid the procedural costs. I accept the decision and take responsibility.”

The Swiss international had previously said the decision stemmed from concerns he held about receiving the vaccine itself, describing it as an error of judgement.

Xhaka is not alone in facing legal consequences over fake Covid certificates in Switzerland. The country’s men’s ice hockey coach, Patrick Fischer, was found guilty of using a forged certificate at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and was fined 38,000 Swiss francs (approximately £34,523) by a criminal court — a significantly lower penalty than the one handed to Xhaka.

Despite the legal proceedings, Xhaka remains a key figure at Sunderland. His manager Regis Le Bris declined to comment in depth on the saga, saying: “It is not my area to speak about those problems or situations. My area is football. About football, he is really good.”

Xhaka is expected to feature for the Black Cats when they travel to Brighton on Saturday.