Sunderland Captain Xhaka Admits COVID Vaccine Document Fraud at Arsenal

Sunderland's captain, Granit Xhaka, could be facing a prison sentence after being dropped from the Switzerland national team for confessing to using a falsified COVID-19 vaccination certificate during his tenure at Arsenal. The 33-year-old midfielder used his Instagram platform to confirm that he had obtained a vaccination document despite not having received the vaccine himself.

In his statement, Xhaka explained: "Over the past few days, there has been a lot of reporting about an issue from my past. I would like to address it personally." He elaborated on his state of mind at the time, stating, "At the time, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. I had deep mistrust of the vaccine and was affected by fear and uncertainty."

He admitted to the lapse in judgment: "In this emotionally charged state, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of addressing my outstanding questions through the proper channels. Today, I can clearly see that this was not the right course of action. It was a mistake. I am sorry. I take responsibility for this decision, will cooperate fully in the investigation of the matter and am cooperating fully with the relevant authorities."

Following this public admission, the Swiss Football Association announced Xhaka's exclusion from the upcoming national team fixtures. The association commented, "We welcome the fact that Granit is taking this step and addressing the issue. At the same time, we have jointly concluded that it's in the team's best interest to go through this training camp without him. For us, the priority now is to restore calm and focus entirely on the team and the upcoming matches in the UEFA Nations League."

Reports from the Blick newspaper indicate that Xhaka had previously contracted the coronavirus in both 2021 and early 2022. The Swiss Football Federation's statement further reiterated that the player would not be part of the men's national team's forthcoming training camp.