Nocturnal 
Granit Xhaka has confirmed he’s been hit with a suspended fine after admitting he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate during the pandemic. The Sunderland captain says he’s been convicted via a summary penalty order in Switzerland for obtaining a false certification.
Posting on Instagram, the 34-year-old revealed the exact punishment handed down by the public prosecutor’s office: a suspended monetary penalty of 50 daily rates of CHF 3,000, roughly £136,266.75, with a two-year probation period. That means the fine won’t actually be enforced as long as Xhaka doesn’t commit any further offences in that time. He said he has already paid the procedural costs.
“I accept the decision and take responsibility,” Xhaka wrote, thanking fans for their support “over the past few weeks.”
How the story unfolded
The saga first became public last month when Xhaka withdrew from the Switzerland squad mid international break, as The Guardian reported. He admitted to obtaining the fake certificate in 2022, when he was still an Arsenal player, and apologised for what he called a “mistake”.
In his original statement, Xhaka explained he had been “very uncertain” about the vaccine at the time, describing “deep distrust” and a “turbulent emotional state” that led him to get the certificate rather than seek answers to his concerns “through the proper channels”.
The case centres on a doctor based in Lucerne, whose clinic was raided by Swiss police back in 2023 as part of a wider investigation into certificates allegedly issued without people actually being vaccinated. The doctor has denied the allegations, and her lawyer has said she did in fact vaccinate Xhaka, according to The Mirror. A spokesperson for Xhaka separately said the player had documentation showing he received two doses, in January and November 2022 — details that sit somewhat awkwardly alongside his admission over the forged certificate, and the exact circumstances haven’t been fully spelled out publicly.
A spokesperson for the Lucerne Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office previously said the aim of the probe was to establish whether there had been criminal conduct “in connection with the possible fraudulent obtaining of a false certification and/or document forgery.”
Why it matters
Switzerland’s most-capped player, with 152 appearances for his country, Xhaka missed all four of Switzerland’s Nations League fixtures while the matter was investigated. Swiss FA president Peter Knabel said at the time that Xhaka had approached the federation himself to say he would admit the issue publicly, adding: “We welcome Granit taking this step and facing the consequences.”
There had been suggestions the case could, in theory, have carried a prison sentence of up to five years, though The Guardian reported that any custodial punishment was always considered extremely unlikely. Switzerland never had a blanket legal requirement to hold a Covid certificate, but one was needed for travel and entry to various venues and activities during the pandemic.
Sunderland have declined to comment on the matter, noting that Xhaka was at Arsenal when the alleged offence took place. He later moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2023, where he won the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso, before joining Sunderland as captain in the summer of 2025.
For now, Xhaka’s case appears to be closed, with the suspended fine standing as his punishment unless he reoffends within the two-year probation period. He has continued playing for Sunderland throughout, most recently featuring in their 5-3 defeat to Manchester City.
