Granit Xhaka to miss four matches after fake Covid certificate admission

Four Nations League matches will pass without Switzerland's captain. Granit Xhaka has admitted obtaining a fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate and, in agreement with the Swiss Football Association, will not join the national team's training camp in Turkey. His absence begins with the next international series and removes one of Switzerland's most influential voices from the squad at a sensitive moment.\n\nXhaka addressed the allegation publicly on Monday, according to the Swiss Football Association's account of events. The 33-year-old midfielder accepted responsibility and apologised. The association said the decision to leave him out followed a joint assessment of the team's interests.\n\nThe case also has a legal dimension. The Lucerne public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the allegation, which concerns a certificate allegedly purchased in 2022. The investigation's opening does not establish a final legal finding. For the Swiss team, the immediate consequence is clear: four Nations League fixtures without the player who has worn the captain's armband and helped define its midfield leadership.

Xhaka said fear and mistrust shaped his decision in 2022. In an Instagram statement, he said he was “personally very anxious” and had “serious reservations” about the Covid-19 vaccine. He described the period as an “emotionally turbulent state” and acknowledged that he obtained a vaccination certificate rather than resolving his questions through official channels.\n\nHis explanation places the admission within Switzerland's wider pandemic experience, when vaccination certificates became part of everyday access rules and public debate. The source does not provide details about how the certificate was obtained, who supplied it or whether it was used for a specific event or journey. Those questions remain relevant to the investigation and have not been answered in the material available.\n\nXhaka's public statement was direct. “It was a mistake. I'm sorry,” he wrote. The apology does not close the legal process, but it gives the Swiss Football Association a stated basis for handling the sporting consequences. The association said Xhaka had informed officials of the facts before speaking publicly.

The Swiss Football Association has chosen four matches as the immediate sporting response. President Peter Knäbel said Xhaka had notified the organisation, agreed to address the public and accepted responsibility. The association welcomed that step while confirming that the team would play the next series without him.\n\nThe decision removes a senior figure from the camp in Turkey and forces Switzerland's coaching staff to prepare for the Nations League without its established captain. The source does not identify a replacement captain, a revised squad or the opponents in the four fixtures. Those details will determine how the team manages the leadership gap, but the association has already fixed the central condition: Xhaka will not participate.\n\nFor Swiss football, the timing puts institutional judgment and sporting planning together. The association must support the national team's preparation while allowing the Lucerne prosecutors to pursue their work. Xhaka remains a central figure in the case and in the team's public identity, yet his return date is tied to the four-match agreement described by the association.

The next stage will run on two tracks: football preparation and legal clarification. Switzerland's national team will enter its next four Nations League matches without Xhaka, while prosecutors in Lucerne examine the alleged use of a fake certificate. The source gives no timetable for the investigation and no details of possible charges or penalties.\n\nThat uncertainty limits what can responsibly be concluded about the case. Xhaka has admitted wrongdoing in his public statement, while the legal authorities still have to establish the relevant facts under Swiss law. The Swiss Football Association's decision concerns his availability for the national team and does not determine the outcome of the prosecutor's inquiry.\n\nThe episode also keeps pandemic-era decisions in the public view. Switzerland's vaccination policy, certificate system and access rules affected sporting organisations, workplaces and travellers. Xhaka's account adds a high-profile personal admission to that history, but the available record remains narrow. The immediate football calendar is defined by four missed Nations League matches, the Turkey camp he will not attend and the leadership responsibilities that Switzerland must now redistribute.