Switzerland and Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has been placed on two years' probation after admitting he obtained a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate during the pandemic, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.
In an Instagram post, the 34-year-old wrote: "I accept the decision and take responsibility." He explained the details of a case first revealed in Swiss media reports last month. The conviction also included a suspended fine of 150,000 Swiss francs ($180,000), and he said he had paid the court costs.
Xhaka, who has played a men's record 152 games for Switzerland, withdrew from the national squad for four Nations League games over the past two weeks. During that time, he gave a statement to public prosecutors in Lucerne, who were investigating a doctor in the canton (state).
Switzerland won all four games in their second-tier Nations League group without Xhaka, who had been left out of the squad after the allegations surfaced. Teammate Breel Embolo also withdrew from the squad over the fake COVID documents.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing