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Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka could face a jail sentence after he was axed from the Switzerland squad for admitting he received a forged Covid vaccine certificate.
Swiss authorities are investigating the offence, which could see him slapped with a significant fine or up to five years in prison, with Xhaka expected to provide his account to authorities next month.
He says he had a 'deep distrust' of the vaccine and did not use 'proper channels' to obtain his vaccine certificate in 2022, which was not mandatory for players to play in the Premier League but did reduce their quarantine periods after close contact or travel.
Xhaka, 33, was playing for Arsenal at the time, and has admitted the offence in a statement released on Instagram on Monday morning.
'In recent days, there has been much reporting about a matter from my past,' Xhaka said. 'I would like to address this personally.
'Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns at the time.
Granit Xhaka, pictured playing for Sunderland this weekend, will not play for Switzerland after admitting to receiving a fake Covid vaccine certificate
'I felt deep distrust of the vaccine and was plagued by fear and uncertainty.
'In this turbulent emotional state, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my open questions through the proper channels.
'Today I clearly see that this was not the right course of action. It was a mistake. I am sorry.
'I take responsibility for this decision, am committed to investigating the matter, and am fully cooperating with the relevant authorities.'
Xhaka met with Swiss FA chiefs to discuss the matter and they agreed he should sit out their Nations League matches against North Macedonia, Scotland and Slovenia.
'Following his personal statement regarding vaccination confirmation, Granit Xhaka will not take part in the upcoming gathering of the men's national team,' the Swiss FA said. 'This decision was jointly made in a conversation between Xhaka and the SFV association leadership.
'After the conclusion of this international match window, we will re-evaluate the situation together with Granit and discuss the next steps,' added Swiss FA chief Peter Knabel.
Xhaka was playing for Arsenal at the time - and has since returned to the Premier League
Meanwhile, the doctor accused of providing the certificate maintains her innocence after Swiss police seized documents from her clinic in 2023.
The Swiss Authorities told Daily Mail Sport: 'We can confirm the Prosecutor's Office of the Canton of Lucerne has initiated a corresponding investigation against Granit Xhaka.
'The aim is to determine whether there is a behaviour that is legally relevant in connection with a possible forgery of a false notarisation or/and the falsification of documents.
'The person concerned is presumed innocent. The investigation is pending.'
Xhaka is not expected to face any repercussions in English football, as the FA or the Premier League did not mandate vaccines during the pandemic.
Sunderland have declined to comment.
Xhaka left Arsenal in 2023 to move to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany before securing a transfer back to the Premier League with Sunderland, for £17million, in 2025.
In the same year he left Arsenal, Xhaka was cleared of involvement in a possible betting scam following a yellow card he received in a 4-1 win at Leeds United.
The offence carries a potential large fine or imprisonment of up to five years in Switzerland
Multiple investigations into the matter finally concluded there was no case to answer for the Switzerland midfielder.
The FA, Gambling Commission and the National Crime Agency (NCA) all closed their investigations into suspicious betting patterns surrounding the booking, which included one bet of £52,000 being placed on Xhaka to receive a yellow card in the final ten minutes of the game in December 2021.
Mikel Arteta's side were 3-0 up at the time Xhaka was booked by referee Andre Marriner for time-wasting in the 86th minute, with video footage of the incident showing the midfielder standing over the ball deep in his own half for about 20 seconds, delaying taking a free-kick.
Following the FA's own six-month investigation, the matter was passed on to the NCA amid suspicions of involvement from organised crime, but that case was dropped due to a shortage of evidence.
Switzerland, who reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup with Xhaka as captain, travel to face North Macedonia and Scotland before hosting Slovenia and North Macedonia, both in Lucerne, in their Nations League group in the coming weeks.
Xhaka is their all-time record appearance maker, with 152 games for the national team.
