Granit Xhaka's Covid certificate admission triggers Lucerne probe

Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has been withdrawn from Switzerland’s squad after admitting he used a fake Covid vaccination certificate in 2022, and he will be questioned by prosecutors in Lucerne next week. The admission comes as the Swiss authorities consider whether criminal proceedings are warranted.

Xhaka, who captains Sunderland and was an Arsenal player when the certificate was obtained, apologised, calling the incident a “mistake”. He will sit out Switzerland’s forthcoming four Nations League matches.

Prosecutors in Lucerne will decide next week whether to launch criminal proceedings over a series of false Covid certificates allegedly supplied by a local doctor, who denied the allegations when first investigated in 2023.