The public prosecutor's office in the Swiss city of Lucerne has opened a criminal investigation into Granit Xhaka, the captain of the Switzerland national team and a player for England's Sunderland, over suspicions that he obtained a fake coronavirus vaccination certificate during the pandemic.
A female doctor in Lucerne is also caught up in the inquiry, suspected of issuing vaccination certificates without ever administering the jabs. Swiss police raided her clinic in 2023 and seized evidence as part of investigations involving a number of people believed to have obtained coronavirus certificates.
According to Swiss reports cited by the German newspaper "Bild", the investigations centre on whether Xhaka secured a certificate proving he had received the coronavirus vaccine despite never actually being vaccinated.
Confirming that proceedings had begun against both Xhaka and the doctor, the public prosecutor's office in Lucerne said the investigation aims to establish whether any conduct amounted to a criminal offence, either through obtaining incorrect official proof or forging documents linked to coronavirus certificates.
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Xhaka is expected to appear before the public prosecutor's office at the beginning of next October to give his statement on the case.
His spokesperson insists the player will make himself fully and transparently available to the authorities. He points to a certificate from the doctor in question that, by his account, confirms Xhaka was officially vaccinated.
The doctor also denies the accusations. Her lawyer said his client maintains she vaccinated Xhaka and that the procedures followed the applicable rules correctly.
Xhaka had previously said he received the coronavirus vaccine, having contracted the virus in 2021 and missed one of Switzerland's matches.
The case remains under investigation. Both Xhaka and the doctor enjoy the presumption of innocence until a final judicial ruling is issued.
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