Sunderland‘s Granit Xhaka has come under fire in Switzerland for allegedly using ‘forged Covid certificates’. The Black Cats star is denying these allegations made against him.
In July 2025, Sunderland signed the midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen, a club he had joined from Arsenal in 2023.
Granit Xhaka was at the Emirates during the pandemic and positive for Covid in September 2021. This forced him to miss that month’s matches with the national team.
Sunderland player under investigation
Prior to that international break, he visited a tattoo artist without a mask. The Swiss media were then critical of the Sunderland star and slammed him for acting irresponsibly.
Before testing positive, he hadn’t taken the vaccination, and Blick bring a concerning update.
The midfielder then took a vaccine against Covid. Fast forward to 2026 and the Lucerne public prosecutor’s office are now investigating whether he actually received it or only got the certificate.
Blick state: ‘But now his image could be severely tarnished. As Blick has learned, the national team captain is under investigation. The accusation: He allegedly obtained forged COVID-19 certificates.’
‘They were apparently issued by a doctor from Lucerne. According to information obtained by Blick, police searched her practice in 2023 and seized evidence. The report mentions several clients who allegedly obtained forged COVID-19 certificates from her.
‘In Xhaka’s case, confirmation was allegedly issued that he had been vaccinated against Corona. However, the vaccination is said to have never taken place.’
How captain got caught up in mess
The Lucerne doctor who gave Granit Xhaka the certificate, came under the investigation in 2023. The authorities, from the evidence collected, found out she issued fake certificates to several of her clients.
The prosecutor’s office are alleging the Sunderland star never took the vaccination and only got a certificate. The authorities will interrogate him, likely in early October.
Speaking to Blick, Simon Kopp, spokesperson for the Lucerne Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed the investigation against Xhaka.
“The aim is to clarify whether there has been conduct relevant under criminal law in connection with the possible fraudulent obtaining of a false certification and/or document forgery,” he said.
The outlet reached out to the player and his spokesperson, Andreas Bantel, explained: “Granit Xhaka is fully cooperating with the authorities and is completely transparent. He has confirmation from his doctor that he was vaccinated against Covid-19 for the first time on January 25, 2022, and for the second time on November 11, 2022.”
The doctor’s lawyer, Cornel Borbély, confirmed to Blick that his client “says she vaccinated Xhaka.”
The Swiss FA issued a statement not wanting to comment on this. Sunderland are likely to take a similar stance.
