Granit Xhaka handed suspended CHF150,000 fine over forged Covid certificate
October 8, 2026 19:20
Sunderland and Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka has been given a suspended fine of 150,000 Swiss francs (£136,000) after being sentenced for obtaining a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate. The 34-year-old says the fine is suspended for two years provided he does not commit any further offences, and that he has already paid the court costs.
Xhaka posted in German on Instagram: "A few weeks ago, I spoke personally here and said that I would take responsibility for my decision. I stand by that." He added: "I was sentenced by summary judgment for obtaining a false certification to a suspended fine of 50 daily rates of CHF 3,000 [£2,726] each. I accept the decision and take responsibility for my actions. Thank you for the many messages of support over the past few weeks. They mean a lot to me."
KEY CONTEXT
The case relates to a certificate allegedly obtained in 2022 when such documentation was required in Switzerland for access to certain activities, venues and for some travel. Swiss authorities said there was never a general legal requirement to hold a certificate, but measures that restricted participation without one were in place until the spring of 2022. After that point certificates continued to be issued mainly to meet foreign travel entry requirements.
Xhaka was playing for Arsenal in 2022 and made a social-media statement on 21 September that year saying he had a "mistrust" towards the vaccine and had been "influenced by worries and uncertainty". He subsequently withdrew from Switzerland's squad for Nations League matches during the international break that has just concluded.
He is Switzerland's record appearance holder with 152 caps and captained the national side at the World Cup earlier this year, where Switzerland were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Argentina. The image accompanying reports notes Xhaka joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Xhaka is expected to return to action for Sunderland when they host Brighton on Saturday (15:00 BST). Black Cats boss Regis le Bris said: "No comment on external topics but [from] what I've seen during the international break, he has trained really well. It's positive. He's in a good place football-wise and for me that is the most important."