Chaka misses Switzerland over faked 'Cov

Geneva - AFP - Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka will miss his country's next four matches in the second tier of the UEFA Nations League after admitting yesterday that he used a falsified certificate for vaccination against "COVID-19" during the pandemic.

The 33-year-old midfielder said on his social media accounts that he submitted a falsified certificate to avoid mandatory vaccination during the pandemic, from November 2019 until spring 2023, when the World Health Organization declared the end of the state of emergency.

The former Arsenal star, currently playing for Sunderland, stated: "At the time, I was very worried about the issue of the (COVID-19) vaccine. I felt a deep distrust of the vaccine, and anxiety and doubt took over." He added: "Today, I clearly see that I made the wrong choice. It was a mistake. I am sorry," noting that he is cooperating "fully with the relevant authorities."

For its part, the Swiss Football Association announced that, in agreement with the player, it has decided he will not join the national team camp in Belek, Turkey, which began yesterday in preparation for their away matches against North Macedonia on Saturday and Scotland next Tuesday, in the first two rounds of Group 1. The team will then face Slovenia and North Macedonia in Lucerne on October 3 and 6.

Xhaka tops the list of most appearances for the Swiss national team with 152 matches since his international debut in 2011 (scoring 18 goals). He was part of the squad at this summer's World Cup, where his country reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Argentina (1-3 after extra time).