Overview
- Xhaka said Monday on Instagram that he purchased a Covid vaccination confirmation in 2022, called the act a mistake, and pledged to cooperate fully with authorities.
- The public prosecutor in the Canton of Lucerne has opened an investigation to determine whether the case involves obtaining a false certification or document forgery and plans to question Xhaka in early October.
- The Swiss Football Association and president Peter Knäbel agreed the team will continue without Xhaka for the current Nations League window, leaving him unavailable for the next four matches.
- Swiss media reported that police searched a physician’s practice in 2023 and seized material linked to possibly fake Covid certificates, which investigators say connects Xhaka’s matter to a wider probe.
- Past pandemic-era cases such as Patrick Fischer show that criminal findings can lead to sporting bans or dismissals, so outcomes to watch are the prosecutors’ findings after the October questioning and the SFV’s reassessment after the international break.