Sunderland and Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka is under criminal investigation over suspicions that he obtained a false Covid-19 vaccination certificate, prosecutors in Lucerne have confirmed.

The investigation comes as Xhaka prepares to join the Switzerland squad for their upcoming fixtures. Prosecutors are expected to question him in early October, between the Swiss team's Nations League games.

Xhaka is said to deny the allegation. His spokesperson, Andreas Bantel, said the midfielder is "fully cooperating with the authorities" and holds confirmation from his treating doctor that he was vaccinated on 25 January 2022 and again on 11 November 2022.

The doctor, who is also under investigation, says she vaccinated him. Both are presumed innocent, and the proceedings are pending.

Lucerne Prosecutors Confirm Proceedings Against Granit Xhaka

Swiss outlet Blick broke the story, and the Lucerne prosecutor's office then confirmed it to SRF. Spokesman Simon Kopp said proceedings have been opened against Xhaka and the doctor.

They will establish whether there was "conduct relevant under criminal law" tied to a possible procurement of a false certification by deception and/or forgery of documents. Prosecutors are treating this as an open question, not a finding.

The allegation is that a confirmation of vaccination was issued to Xhaka although no vaccination took place. The certificate is said to have come from a Lucerne doctor whose practice police searched in 2023, seizing evidence.

Reports refer to several clients who allegedly obtained false certificates from her, and Blick reports that Xhaka is among them.

The doctor's lawyer, Cornel Borbély, rejects the claim. "My client says she vaccinated Xhaka," he told Swiss media, adding that everything followed the rules.

Bantel said Xhaka will first address the details of the case with prosecutors before commenting publicly, so the player has not made a statement himself.

Blick reports that the questioning is set for early October in Lucerne, although the prosecutor’s office has not confirmed an interview date. The Swiss FA told SRF it has no reliable information and cannot comment.

Nati director Pierluigi Tami is due to address the media at the start of the team's camp in Belek, Turkey. Sunderland have not commented publicly.

Xhaka's Covid Vaccination Timeline And Similar Swiss Cases

Xhaka's positive COVID test became public in September 2021, when he was neither vaccinated nor recovered. He missed Switzerland's friendly against Greece, and the Swiss FA said at the time that vaccination was "a personal decision of each player".

He had also remained unvaccinated before the 2021 European Championship. In March 2022, he told the Aargauer Zeitung that he had since been vaccinated. His camp scheduled the second dose in Lucerne on 11 November 2022.

The day before Arsenal's league game at Wolves. He started that game, was substituted after about 15 minutes due to stomach problems, and Arsenal won 2-0.

He joined the Swiss squad at Zurich airport on 14 November before travelling to the World Cup in Qatar. 20 Minuten reported that public records do not show how he travelled between London and Lucerne that day, and that Arsenal had not answered its enquiry.

It added that FIFA and Qatar did not require players to show proof of vaccination at that tournament.

What Happens Next For Xhaka, Sunderland And Switzerland

Xhaka is expected to be involved in all four of Switzerland's Nations League matches. They face North Macedonia away on 26 September and Scotland away on 29 September, before hosting Slovenia on 3 October and North Macedonia on 6 October.

Both home games are taking place in Lucerne. It is not known whether the case will affect his involvement.

Sunderland have more to consider. Régis Le Bris made Xhaka captain in August 2025 after he joined from Bayer Leverkusen on a three-year contract worth an initial £13m, rising to £17.3m with add-ons. Sunderland finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League on the final day.

Xhaka captained the side in their 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar, their first major European match in 53 years. He has led Switzerland since 2020 and captained them to this summer's World Cup quarter-final, where they lost 3-1 after extra time to Argentina.

Swiss reports say the proceedings would be dropped if the suspicion is not substantiated, while a conviction would likely result in a fine. No previous convictions are known. The prosecutor did not cite the relevant statutes.