150,000 Francs Probation: Xhaka Convicted for Forged Vaccination Certificate

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents 150,000 Francs Probation: Xhaka Convicted for Forged Vaccination Certificate.

150,000 Swiss Francs, suspended on two years of probation – that is the verdict against Granit Xhaka. The former Bundesliga professional and current Swiss national team player has been convicted for forged vaccination certificates from the COVID era.

This brings a judicial end to an affair that has been speculated about for months. For you as a football fan, it means: Xhaka remains on the pitch for now, but must stay out of trouble for two years, otherwise the sentence will be enforced after all.

What exactly was Xhaka convicted of?

At the center is a forged COVID certificate from the pandemic era. As reported by Swiss Radio and Television (SRF), a court has sentenced Xhaka to a conditional fine for this reason. According to consistent reports from multiple media outlets, it involved a single certificate with which Xhaka allegedly pretended to be fully vaccinated against COVID.

How high is the sentence specifically?

According to SRF, the conditional fine amounts to 50 daily rates of 3,000 Francs each – resulting in the sum of 150,000 Swiss Francs. Added to this are two years of probation: if Xhaka commits another offense during this time, the sentence will be enforced. The Südwest Presse, the Tagesspiegel, and Sky all confirm the sum and the sentence in agreement.

What has Xhaka himself said about it?

Xhaka made the verdict public himself – via Instagram. As reported by the Südwest Presse, he explained there that the sentence would not be enforced if he didn't get into trouble. With this, he has indirectly admitted the conviction without commenting on the details of the matter.

Are sporting consequences now looming as well?

That is the open question that Sky explicitly raises: whether sporting consequences will follow was unclear at the time of reporting. Xhaka is in the squad of the Swiss national team – a suspension or other sanctions would be a decision for the association, not the court. How the Swiss Football Association will respond was still open.

Xhaka is also no stranger in the Bundesliga: he played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and later for Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the double of league title and DFB-Pokal in 2024, before moving to Sunderland in the Premier League.

What this means for you as a fan

Xhaka stays on the field, but under supervision. As long as he doesn't slip up again in the next two years, the 150,000-Franc fine won't be collected. Juridically, the affair is settled – but sportingly, it's not yet fully closed. The last word likely belongs to the association.