Granit Xhaka accepts suspended CHF 150,000 fine over fake Covid certificate

Granit Xhaka said on Thursday, 8 October, that he had accepted a suspended penalty of 150,000 Swiss francs after obtaining a false Covid-19 vaccination certificate in Switzerland. The Sunderland and Switzerland captain said he took responsibility for his decision. The legal outcome follows his admission last month that he obtained the certificate in 2022, while his future with the Swiss national team has yet to be settled.

The penalty comprises 50 daily rates of 3,000 francs and carries a two-year probation period, according to Xhaka’s account of the summary judgment reported by Reuters and Swiss broadcaster SRF. SRF said the penalty would be enforced only if Xhaka committed another offence during that period. Xhaka also said he had already paid the procedural costs and had given prosecutors a full account.

What Xhaka said about the false certificate

In a statement on Instagram cited by Reuters, Xhaka said he stood by an earlier pledge to take responsibility. ‘I accept the decision and take responsibility for my actions,’ he wrote. He said the suspended penalty meant it would not be enforced if he committed no further offence during the probation period. The reports describe the legal outcome through Xhaka’s statement; the prosecutor’s written judgment was not available in the cited coverage.

Xhaka had acknowledged the false certificate in September, years after obtaining it in 2022. Reuters reported that he described deep mistrust of Covid-19 vaccines and serious reservations at the time. In his earlier statement, quoted by The Independent, he said he had obtained a vaccination certificate instead of addressing his unanswered questions through the proper channels. He called the decision a mistake, apologised and said he was cooperating with the authorities.

What the Swiss Football Association will decide next

The Swiss Football Association told news agency Keystone-SDA that it had received the prosecutor’s decision, SRF reported. It welcomed the legal matter being concluded and said it could now hold previously announced talks with Xhaka about how to proceed together. SRF said any sporting consequences remained unclear. The association’s statement did not announce a selection decision or specify whether Xhaka would face a separate sporting sanction.

Xhaka missed Switzerland’s recent international window. Reuters reported that he was absent from four Nations League matches: two against North Macedonia and one each against Scotland and Slovenia. His absence therefore affected a complete set of fixtures before the penalty was announced. The legal decision gives the association a basis to resume its discussions, but the published statements leave the outcome of those discussions open.

The Independent reported an earlier comment from Swiss football president Peter Knabel that Xhaka could be involved in November’s internationals. Knabel had said the association and Xhaka would reassess matters after the international window. That was an indication of a possible return, not confirmation that he would be selected. The association’s later response to the penalty, as reported by SRF, offered no final answer about his place in the national team.

What the legal outcome establishes

Xhaka’s statement identifies the amount, the daily-rate calculation and the probation period, and says he has accepted the judgment and paid the costs. Reuters and SRF both reported those terms. The reports do not reproduce the prosecutor’s written summary judgment, so the precise wording of the legal document cannot be checked from them. The central distinction for supporters is clear from the reported terms: the 150,000-franc penalty is suspended, while the association’s sporting decision is still pending.

The Independent also reported that Lucerne public prosecutors were investigating a local doctor. Its report established no outcome in that separate matter. For Xhaka, the next confirmed step described by the Swiss Football Association is a discussion about his future after the legal decision; it has not announced a timetable or result for those talks.