Granit Xhaka has been taken out of Switzerland’s squad for the rest of this international window after acknowledging that he obtained a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate in 2022.

Xhaka said the decision was “not the right course of action” and described it as a “mistake.” He also issued an apology, but the matter has moved beyond a public statement. Before posting his message as an Instagram story, he had already been in contact with the Swiss Football Association (SFV).

The issue resurfaced after Blick ran the headline last Friday, ‘Did Xhaka buy a fake Covid certificate?’ The report said the document was obtained from a doctor in Lucerne. Police searched those premises in 2023 and “evidence seized.”

On Sunday, after the news emerged in Switzerland, Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris declined to address it directly, saying it was not his “area to speak about those problems or situations.” Xhaka had played the full 90 minutes in a 5-3 defeat to Manchester City, and had previously been an Arsenal player in 2022.

The prosecutor’s office in Lucerne confirmed to Blick that proceedings have been opened against Xhaka and the doctor involved. “The aim,” they say, “is to clarify whether there has been any criminally relevant conduct in connection with the possible fraudulent procurement of a false certification and/or forgery.” Xhaka is due to be questioned in early October.

The SFV said it “welcomes” Xhaka addressing the matter publicly and taking responsibility, after discussions with the national team legend on Sunday night.

“At the same time, we jointly concluded that it is in the team’s best interest to complete this training camp without him,” SFV president Peter Knäbel said. “Our priority now is to calm the situation and focus entirely on the team and the upcoming challenges in the UEFA Nations League. After the conclusion of this international match window, we will reassess the situation together with Granit and discuss the next steps.”

The broader issue is not vaccination itself. In Switzerland, vaccination was never a legal requirement, though proof of vaccination was needed for access to certain venues or travel. The central question is the alleged procurement of false or forged official documents.

The first chapter of the 2026/27 Premier League season has already been completed, but there will be no league football for the next two weekends. An international break has taken over, and the domestic calendar will remain on hold until October 10.

That pause comes after a strong start from Arsenal, whose perfect record drew talk of a potentially one-sided title race. Yet Brighton & Hove Albion halted that run before the break, a result that offered a reminder that the leaders are not beyond reach.

For now, though, attention shifts away from club football and back to national teams. This is the first time sides have come together since the 2026 World Cup, and the next couple of weeks will be filled with fixtures that should keep supporters occupied.

The Premier League’s return is set for Matchday 6, when Arsenal open the weekend at Emirates Stadium against Leeds United. It will mark the restart of a schedule that has been interrupted by an extended pause created by the international calendar.

That calendar was changed by the FIFA Council in 2023, leaving only three international breaks this season. September and October have effectively been combined into one longer window, with further breaks still due in November and March.

The stoppage is not limited to England’s top flight. Club football across Europe has also been paused until the second weekend of October, while the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League begins to take centre stage.

Teams will play four times during this window, and several matches stand out. League A includes a rematch of the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain on Sept. 26, Germany against the Netherlands on Sept. 24, France at home to Italy on Oct. 2, and Portugal facing Norway on Oct. 4.

Former Premier League winger Andros Townsend was involved in an unusual accident in Thailand on Saturday after being run over by an out of control pitch roller.

The 35-year-old escaped relatively lightly, and he was well enough to make light of the incident on social media afterwards. “It turns out Stoke away wasn’t so bad after all,” he wrote on Instagram.

Townsend was struck and briefly trapped when the roller rode up onto his left leg. What could have been a far worse situation ended with only minor cuts and bruises on his left thigh, with luck clearly on his side.

He did go on to feature in the match, although only as a substitute in the final minute. Before that, he had started both of Prachuap’s matches in Thai League 1 in 2026/27. His late appearance did not affect the outcome, as three goals and a clean sheet were enough to see off Pattani.

Townsend has now been based in Thailand for a little over a year. He left England in 2024 after 12 straight seasons in the Premier League, having played for Everton and Luton Town. His move abroad began with Antalyaspor in Türkiye before he headed to Thailand and joined Kanchanaburi Power at the start of 2025/26.

That club had only just been promoted, but later went down from the top division, prompting Townsend’s switch to Prachuap.