Switzerland’s 152-Cap Captain Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo Have Both Been Dropped From the Nations League Squad Over Fake Covid Documents

• Switzerland has lost two players, captain Granit Xhaka and striker Breel Embolo, from its Nations League squad over years-old cases involving fake Covid-19 documents.
• Xhaka, the Swiss record appearance holder with 152 caps, admitted obtaining a forged vaccination certificate in 2022.
• Embolo was already suspended for Saturday’s game after a red card against Argentina at the World Cup that soccer’s rule-making body later said should not have been given.

Why Two of Switzerland’s Biggest Names Are Suddenly Missing

Switzerland heads into its opening Nations League fixture this weekend without two of its most experienced players, and the reason has nothing to do with form, injury or a manager’s tactical plan. Captain Granit Xhaka and striker Breel Embolo have both been removed from the squad over separate, years-old cases involving fake Covid-19 documents, cases that only became public through fresh reporting in Swiss media this week.

Embolo will not join the squad for the trip to Scotland as planned, the Swiss soccer federation confirmed on Friday. The federation pointed to reporting in Swiss outlets about Embolo obtaining forged Covid-19 test certificates back in 2021. “This decision aims to allow the team to remain fully focused on the next matches,” the federation said of the Atlanta United forward.

Xhaka Withdrew a Week Before Embolo

Xhaka’s exit came first. Switzerland’s captain agreed with team officials last weekend to withdraw from the squad after being named in an investigation into a doctor accused of issuing fake vaccination certificates in the Covid-19 pandemic. Xhaka, who holds the Swiss record with 152 caps, admitted he obtained a forged document in 2022 and accepted he made mistakes.

Embolo’s case follows a similar shape but a different route to becoming public. A financial sanction was imposed on the forward last year over the same category of offence, false Covid-19 test result documents from 2021. It stayed largely out of view until the outlet Switzerland Today published details of the case on Friday, leading the federation to act before the squad assembled.

A Second Controversy Already Hanging Over Embolo

Embolo arrives at this news already sitting out Saturday’s opener at North Macedonia through suspension, the result of a red card shown against Argentina in Switzerland’s World Cup quarter-final exit. That decision has its own tangled history: soccer’s rule-making body, IFAB, later acknowledged that Embolo had been sent off by mistake, in breach of the video review protocol that should have overturned it.

It capped a hard tournament path for the forward, who had already arrived at the World Cup later than his teammates after a visa issue with United States authorities delayed him. He still scored in Switzerland’s opening game, a 1-1 draw with Qatar, and again in a round of 32 win over Algeria.

What Happens Now

Switzerland open their Nations League campaign at North Macedonia on Saturday, then travel to face Scotland on Tuesday, before two home fixtures in Lucerne against Slovenia and North Macedonia. Both games will be played without the captain who has led the side for years and the forward who scored twice at the World Cup this summer.

Neither Xhaka nor Embolo has been handed a formal ban by the federation itself. Xhaka stepped aside by agreement with team officials once he was named in the investigation, and Embolo’s absence has been described by the federation as protecting the squad’s focus rather than a punishment for a proven offence. That gap is real for two players whose Covid-era paperwork is now under scrutiny years after the fact, at a point when neither case has run its full course through the country’s legal or footballing systems.

The timing puts Swiss football’s build-up to its Nations League opener in the shadow of a story that has nothing to do with matches. Xhaka’s 152 caps make him the most-capped player in Swiss history, and his standing inside the dressing room has made his withdrawal the bigger shock of the two. Embolo’s case, revealed only days later, has extended a story that Swiss federation officials clearly hoped would stay contained to one player.

Two Absences, No Clear End Date

Switzerland’s Nations League campaign starts with two of its most recognisable names absent, not through selection but through a chain of events set in motion years ago in the pandemic. The squad for Saturday’s trip to North Macedonia looks different without Xhaka’s leadership and Embolo’s goals, and both cases remain live enough that neither player’s return date is settled for the games that follow against Scotland, Slovenia and North Macedonia again.

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

More articles by Jarrod →