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Xhaka discovers punishment for forged Covid-19 vaccine as court issues verdict
Oct 08 2026 19:29 · By Samuel Meade,Sports Brand Writer · 13 Reads
Granit Xhaka has been handed a suspended fine after admitting that he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccine certificate during the pandemic.
The Sunderland midfielder was alleged to have obtained a forged certificate in 2022, at a time when it was a requirement to hold one in Switzerland to travel abroad.
Xhaka did apologise for the incident and said it was an error of judgement which stemmed from concerns he had about having the vaccine. It came when he was still playing for Arsenal.
The suspended fine comes in at £136,266.75, with a two-year probation period for the Swiss international. Xhaka confirmed he had paid the court fees but will face no further action as things stand, accepting responsibility and the decision.
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In a post on Instagram, he said: "A few weeks ago, I personally spoke out here and said that I take responsibility for my decision. I stand by that. After I gave a full statement to the public prosecutor’s office, the prosecutor’s decision has now been made.
"I have been convicted by a summary penalty order for obtaining a false certification, receiving a suspended monetary penalty of 50 daily rates of CHF 3,000, with a two-year probation period.
"That means the penalty will not be enforced as long as I do not commit any further offences during this period. I have already paid the procedural costs. I accept the decision and take responsibility. Thank you for the many supportive messages over the past few weeks. They mean a lot to me.”
Similar incidents have occurred in Xhaka's homeland. Switzerland's men's ice hockey coach, Patrick Fischer, was found guilty of using a fake COVID-19 certificate to work at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and was fined 38,000 Swiss francs (£34,523.57) by the criminal court.
Xhaka is set to feature this weekend for the Black Cats, who will travel to Brighton on Saturday. His manager, Regis Le Bris, when quizzed on saga, said: "It is not my area to speak about those problems or situations. My area is football. About football, he is really good."