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Granit Xhaka convicted for fake Covid certificate, fined 150,000 Swiss francs

The Switzerland captain announced his conviction and suspended fine via Instagram.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Granit Xhaka convicted for fake Covid certificate, fined 150,000 Swiss francs

What this story says

  • Granit Xhaka, captain of the Swiss national football team, has been convicted for obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
  • He announced the conviction himself on Instagram, stating he received a 50-day fine of 3,000 Swiss francs each, totaling 150,000 Swiss francs, which is suspended for two years.
  • Xhaka withdrew from the Swiss squad for four Nations League games following the conviction.
  • The conviction occurred in Lucerne, Switzerland, and involved a doctor being investigated.

Who covered it

Left 42%(13)Centre 42%(8)Right 16%(4)

Percentages are shares of the 25 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 20 of the 45 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

41/100

45 sources · methodology

Granit Xhaka, captain of the Swiss national football team, has been convicted for obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. He announced the conviction himself via an Instagram post on Thursday. Xhaka stated he received a penalty of 50 days-fine, with each day set at 3,000 Swiss francs, amounting to 150,000 Swiss francs. This fine is suspended for two years, meaning he will only have to pay it if he commits another offence.

The conviction relates to a case from 2022. Xhaka withdrew from the Swiss national team for four Nations League games during the period the case was being investigated by public prosecutors in Lucerne. Switzerland won all four of those matches.

Disagreement on penalty details

While most reports agree Xhaka received a suspended fine of 150,000 Swiss francs, the Medicine Hat News and Daily Jefferson County Union state he was put on two years' probation. Le Temps reports the conviction occurred in 2022, while Medicine Hat News states the case was revealed last month.

Omissions

None of the right-rated digests mention that Xhaka withdrew from the Swiss national team for four Nations League games.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 8 Oct 2026, 17:15, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

13 rated outlets

  • Reports from the left-rated outlets focused on Xhaka's announcement of his conviction and the details of the suspended fine. Several reports, including The Independent and The Independent (US), highlighted that Xhaka admitted to obtaining a fake Covid certificate. Le Temps, a full report, noted that Xhaka chose not to remain silent and made the announcement himself. The outlet also mentioned that the Swiss Football Association would discuss the matter with the player. NiagaraFallsReview.ca, The Hamilton Spectator, The Record, and Telegrafi all reported that Xhaka revealed his sentence for the forged certificate.

Centre

8 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports, such as those from Medicine Hat News and Daily Jefferson County Union, led with Xhaka being put on two years' probation after admitting to obtaining a fake vaccination certificate. These outlets also noted his Instagram post where he stated, "I accept the decision and take responsibility." The Sunderland Echo reported that Xhaka announced the outcome of the COVID-19 vaccine certificate investigation, stating he had been handed a suspended fine. wz.de and saarbruecker-zeitung.de highlighted the 150,000 Swiss francs fine on probation.

Right

4 rated outlets

  • The right-rated reports focused on the financial penalty and the conditional nature of the sentence. Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported that the captain of the Swiss national team forged two vaccination certificates and has now been prosecuted, as he reported on Instagram. Focus.de stated that Xhaka is fined 150,000 francs but does not have to pay them if he stays free for two years. Daily Jefferson County Union reported that Xhaka was put on two years' probation after admitting obtaining a fake vaccination certificate.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Granit Xhaka convicted for fake Covid certificate, fined 150,000 Swiss…?
Of the 25 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 42% are rated left, 42% are rated centre, 16% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 45. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Granit Xhaka convicted for fake Covid certificate, fined 150,000 Swiss… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 25 rated outlets on this story, 42% are rated left, 42% are rated centre, 16% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Granit Xhaka convicted for fake Covid certificate, fined 150,000 Swiss… biased?
Granit Xhaka convicted for fake Covid certificate, fined 150,000 Swiss francs is one event reported by 45 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Granit Xhaka convicted for fake Covid certificate, fined 150,000 Swiss…?
45 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What was Granit Xhaka convicted for?
Granit Xhaka was convicted for obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. He announced this himself on Instagram, stating he accepted the decision and took responsibility.
What was the penalty for obtaining the fake certificate?
Xhaka received a 50-day fine of 3,000 Swiss francs each, totaling 150,000 Swiss francs. This fine is suspended for two years, meaning he will only have to pay it if he commits another offence.
Did Xhaka withdraw from any games?
Yes, Xhaka withdrew from the Swiss national team for four Nations League games. Switzerland won all four of these matches.

Read it at the source

45 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

13
Show 5 more

Centre

8

Right

4

Not rated

20
Show 12 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Granit Xhaka Covid conviction | MediaBias News