Suspended fine for Xhaka over Covid-19 certificate

What the report says

Sunderland and Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka says he has received a suspended fine of 150,000 Swiss francs, or about £136,000, after being found to have obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate. According to the BBC Sport report, the 34-year-old said the penalty was handed down through a summary judgment and is suspended for two years, as long as he does not commit another offence. He also said he has already paid the court costs.

Xhaka said on Instagram that he accepts the decision and takes responsibility for his actions. The report says the case relates to a certificate allegedly obtained in 2022, when such documents were still required in Switzerland for certain travel and access to activities. Swiss authorities later clarified that there had not been a general legal duty to hold one, but the certificate was needed for various venues and cross-border trips.

The BBC said Xhaka had previously issued a statement in September saying he had doubts about vaccination and had been influenced by worry and uncertainty. He later withdrew from Switzerland’s squad for Nations League matches. The midfielder, who joined Sunderland from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2025, is expected to be available for Sunderland’s next Premier League match against Brighton. The case matters because Xhaka is a high-profile national team captain and one of Switzerland’s most capped players, making the disciplinary outcome closely watched in football and beyond.