Arab News | Embolo follows Xhaka out of Swiss squad over fake Covid documents

GENEVA: Switzerland striker Breel Embolo has been left out of the squad for the upcoming Nations League matches after being sanctioned for using forged Covid-19 test certificates during the pandemic.

He is the second player this week to be dropped. Captain Granit Xhaka was omitted after he confessed to using a fake certificate to avoid a mandatory vaccination.

The Swiss football association on Friday announced, without specifying a reason, that Embolo would not be called up. However, Swiss media reported the omission was linked to a fine imposed in November 2025 after he claimed to have passed Covid tests using fake certificates.

Details of the sanction against the Atlanta United player recently emerged through the Schweiz Heute outlet.

Speaking to the St. Galler Tagblatt daily, the former Monaco and Rennes player said he had “understood that (his) behavior was not correct” and “accepted (his) responsibility”.

Xhaka admitted his wrongdoing on Monday.

“I felt deep mistrust regarding the vaccine and was gripped by anxiety and doubt,” the Sunderland midfielder said on social media.

The Swiss FA said Xhaka’s case would be reviewed after the current international window.

Switzerland begin their campaign away to North Macedonia on Saturday and then travel to face Scotland on September 29. Embolo would have been suspended for the first game after his red card against Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The Swiss will then host Slovenia and North Macedonia in Lucerne on October 3 and 6.