It has now been revealed that Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka is under criminal investigation.
The Sunderland star has also been dropped by Switzerland after the news broke.
Granit Xhaka is now under criminal investigation on suspicion of having obtained fake coronavirus vaccination certificates, police in the city of Lucerne have confirmed.
Swiss news reports say that Sunderland captain received the certificates from a doctor without being vaccinated. The same doctor is also reported to be under investigation for providing fake certificates.
Launching the probe, Lucerne prosecution office spokesman Simon Kopp says that the investigation will discover “Whether there is conduct relevant under criminal law in connection with a possible procurement of a false certification by deception and/or forgery of documents.”
Over in Switzerland, Blick report that Granit Xhaka contracted the coronavirus in 2021 and early 2022.
Monday morning has seen Granit Xhaka himself release a statement on social media: “In recent days there has been much reporting about a matter from my past. I would like to address this personally. Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns at the time. 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 the wrong 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.”
Instead of captaining Switzerland, Granit Xhaka will now be questioned by Swiss authorities to decide whether or not to open criminal proceedings regarding this vaccination certificate scandal.