Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka confesses to faking Covid vaccine while playing for Arsenal - and could face JAIL as he is thrown out of Switzerland's squad

Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka could face a jail sentence after he was axed from the Switzerland squad for admitting he received a forged Covid vaccine certificate.

Swiss authorities are investigating the offence, which could see him slapped with a significant fine or up to five years in prison, with Xhaka expected to provide his account to authorities next month.

He says he had a 'deep distrust' of the vaccine and did not use 'proper channels' to obtain his vaccine certificate in 2022, which was not mandatory for players to play in the Premier League but did reduce their quarantine periods after close contact or travel.

Xhaka, 33, was playing for Arsenal at the time, and has admitted the offence in a statement released on Instagram on Monday morning. 

'In recent days, there has been much reporting about a matter from my past,' Xhaka said. 'I would like to address this personally.

'Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination, I was personally very uncertain and had serious concerns at the time.