Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka under investigation by Swiss law enforcement authorities for forging his COVID-19 vaccination certificate..

The Swiss media outlet Blick exclusively reported exclusively on Monday that Sunderland and the Switzerland national team captain Granit Xhaka is under investigation by Swiss law enforcement authorities for forging his COVID-19 vaccination certificate.

According to the report, it was discovered that Xhaka had forged his COVID-19 vaccination certificate while playing for Arsenal in 2022. The Lucerne Public Prosecutor's Office has opened a case against him and that the player is expected to be summoned for questioning in early October.

Following the report, Xhaka admitted to the offense via his official Instagram account, saying that he had committed this "grave error" due to a deep-seated mistrust of the COVID-19 vaccine. He expressed deep remorse and anguish over his misconduct.

He also pledged to cooperate actively and honestly with the law enforcement investigation.

The Swiss Football Association has decided to exclude Xhaka from the current national team squad and strip him of the captaincy.

Reporters attempted to contact his club, Sunderland, but the Black Cats declined to comment prior to the time of writing.

Switzerland is set to face North Macedonia, Scotland, and Slovenia during the upcoming three-week UEFA Nations League schedule.

The Swiss Football Association has not yet announced who will take over as the new Switzerland national team captain.

About Granit Xhaka

The 33-year-old Xhaka was born on September 27, 1992, in Basel, Switzerland. He is 1.86 meters tall and plays as a defensive midfielder. He holds dual Swiss and Albanian citizenship; his older brother, Taulant, is also a former defensive midfielder who played for the Albania national team but has since retired.

Xhaka joined FC Basel's youth academy at the age of 10 and completed his first-team debut by coming on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League qualifiers in July 2010, scoring his first goal for the club in that very game.

During his two-year stint at Basel, Xhaka won the Swiss Super League twice and the Swiss Cup once. 

In May 2012, Xhaka joined Borussia Mönchengladbach for €8.5 million.

During his three-year stint with Die Föhlen, Xhaka helped the club qualify for the Champions League twice and reach the DFB-Pokal quarter-finals once.

In May 2016, Xhaka joined Arsenal for £30 million.

During his seven-year stint with The Gunners, despite a turbulent spell where a dip in form led to him angrily throwing his captain's armband after being booed by fans, subsequently resulting in him being stripped of the captaincy, Xhaka remained dedicated to the team, during which he won the FA Community Shield twice and the FA Cup twice, and reached the UEFA Europa League final once.

In July 2023, Xhaka joined Bayer Leverkusen for €25 million.

During his two-year spell with Die Werkself, Xhaka was part of the squad that achieved a historic treble by winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and DFL-Supercup, as well as reaching the UEFA Europa League final once.

In July 2025, Xhaka joined Sunderland for £15 million. In the summer of 2026, his outstanding performances attracted intense interest from Chelsea.

Since joining the Black Cats, Xhaka has made 42 appearances across all competitions for the Premier League dark horses, scoring one goal, providing six assists, and helping the team secure a surprise qualification for the UEFA Europa League.

Image credits: Internet / Blick / Getty Images