Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka has been given a suspended fine of £136,266.75 after admitting that he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccine certificate during the pandemic. The Swiss international will also serve a two-year probation period.
The alleged offence occurred in 2022, when holding a vaccine certificate was a requirement to travel abroad from Switzerland. At the time, Xhaka was still playing for Arsenal. He apologised for the incident, describing it as an error of judgement that stemmed from concerns about having the vaccine.
Xhaka Accepts Responsibility
Xhaka confirmed that he has paid the court fees and will face no further action as things stand. In a statement posted on Instagram, he said: "A few weeks ago, I personally spoke out here and said that I take responsibility for my decision. I stand by that. After I gave a full statement to the public prosecutor’s office, the prosecutor’s decision has now been made."
He added: "I have been convicted by a summary penalty order for obtaining a false certification, receiving a suspended monetary penalty of 50 daily rates of CHF 3,000, with a two-year probation period. That means the penalty will not be enforced as long as I do not commit any further offences during this period. I have already paid the procedural costs. I accept the decision and take responsibility."
Similar Case in Switzerland
Similar incidents have occurred in Xhaka's homeland. Switzerland's men's ice hockey coach, Patrick Fischer, was found guilty of using a fake Covid-19 certificate to work at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and was fined 38,000 Swiss francs (£34,523.57) by the criminal court.
Xhaka is set to feature this weekend for Sunderland, who travel to Brighton on Saturday. His manager, Regis Le Bris, when quizzed on the saga, said: "It is not my area to speak about those problems or situations. My area is football. About football, he is really good."
