BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka acknowledged errors Monday and withdrew from the national team squad after facing scrutiny for allegedly using fake documents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 33-year-old Xhaka is suspected of getting a fake vaccination certificate years ago from a doctor under investigation by prosecutors in Lucerne, Swiss media reported at the weekend.
“It was a mistake. I am sorry,” Xhaka said Monday in a post on his Instagram account, adding he will cooperate with authorities.
Switzerland’s most capped player, with 152 games for the national team, will not join the squad ahead of four games in the Nations League.
Swiss soccer federation president Peter Knäbel said in a statement it welcomed Xhaka taking responsibility to fully clarify the matter.
“At the same time, we have agreed together that it’s in the team’s best interest to play these matches without him,” Knäbel said.
World Cup quarterfinalist Switzerland travels to face North Macedonia and Scotland before hosting Slovenia and North Macedonia, both in Lucerne, in their Nations League second-tier group.
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