Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka faces legal inquest in Switzerland
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka is in hot water amid a legal inquest over forged COVID-19 vaccine certificates.
Blick reports that the Switzerland icon is being investigated by the Lucerne public prosecutor's office due to his connections with a doctor who is accused of handing out fake COVID certificates.
In the specific case of Xhaka, it is alleged that he received a forged document stating that he had been vaccinated against the virus when that supposedly did not happen.
Xhaka denies all allegations and insists that he was twice vaccinated in 2022 after he had tested positive for COVID the year prior, which caused him to miss two national team fixtures.
A spokesperson for the prosecutor's office confirmed the investigation: "The aim is to clarify whether there has been any criminally relevant conduct in connection with the possible fraudulent procurement of a false certification and/or forgery."
Xhaka not the first Swiss star to court controversy
Police raided the accused doctor's office in 2023 and "seized evidence." Xhaka is one of "numerous" supposed clients who allegedly received forged vaccination certificates.
Xhaka is due to be questioned by the prosecutor's office early next month. On 6 October, Switzerland face North Macedonia in the Nations League - in Lucerne.
"Granit Xhaka is fully available to the authorities and will cooperate completely transparently," the player's spokesperson said when contacted by the Swiss publication.
"He has confirmation from his doctor that he was vaccinated against Covid for the first time on January 25, 2022 and for the second time on November 11, 2022."
As this is an ongoing investigation, the spokesperson was unable to provide more information. The doctor's lawyer also insisted that the vaccinations took place: "My client says she vaccinated Xhaka."
In 2024, Xhaka's long-time international teammate Breel Embolo faced similar accusations. A member of the Hells Angels stood accused of handing out forged COVID test certificates and allegedly issuing two travel certificates with Embolo's information.
There was also a high-profile case in the Bundesliga in 2021 when then-Werder Bremen manager Markus Anfang was investigated over a forged vaccination certificate. He subsequently resigned from his post and pleaded guilty.
The DFB banned him for a year and ordered him to pay a €20,000 fine, while the Bremen district court charged him an additional €36,000.
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