Embolo dropped from Swiss squad after Xhaka over fake Covid certificates

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, AFP reports.

He is the second player dropped this week, following captain Granit Xhaka, who was omitted after admitting to using a fake certificate to avoid mandatory vaccination. The Swiss football association announced Embolo’s omission on Friday without specifying a reason, though Swiss media linked it to a fine imposed in November 2025 after he claimed to have passed Covid tests using fake certificates, with details of the sanction recently surfacing through outlet Schweiz Heute. Speaking to the St. Galler Tagblatt, the former Monaco and Rennes player said he had “understood that (his) behaviour was not correct” and “accepted (his) responsibility.”

Xhaka, for his part, admitted his wrongdoing on Monday, writing on social media, “I felt deep mistrust regarding the vaccine and was gripped by anxiety and doubt.” The Swiss FA said his case would be reviewed after the current international window closes.

Switzerland open their campaign away to North Macedonia on Saturday before facing Scotland on September 29, with Embolo having in any case been suspended for the opener following 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, leaving both stars’ international futures hanging in the balance as the federation weighs further disciplinary action.