Swiss captain Xhaka sidelined over fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate

Switzerland’s football association will reassess the situation with Xhaka after the international window has concluded.Published On 21 Sep 202621 Sep 2026Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka will miss the international camp after admitting he had acquired a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate, the Swiss Football Association (SFV) has said.The decision was reached jointly by the player and the SFV leadership after Xhaka issued a public statement acknowledging his actions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4UEFA defends policy after rejecting Ireland’s request not to play Israellist 2 of 4UEFA, CONCACAF challenge FIFA on reserves and demand $10m payout to memberslist 3 of 4Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe ends Nike partnership to join Swiss brand Onlist 4 of 4Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal says he has experienced racism ‘a thousand times’end of list“In this agitated emotional state, I acquired a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my open questions through the intended path,” Xhaka wrote in a statement on social media.“Today I see clearly that this path was not right. It was a mistake. I am sorry.”Xhaka, 33, added that he was cooperating fully with the relevant authorities. Th...