Granit Xhaka
Granit Xhaka
National-team weeks are usually about minutes and friendlies. Sometimes they are about a captain who will not travel, after a statement lands on a Monday morning and the association has to decide who boards the plane.
Those decisions are rarely only sporting. A squad gathering abroad needs calm, and a federation that has just been told about an old certificate will often choose to leave the player at home until the facts are clearer.
Supporters of his former clubs still pay attention. A midfielder who led Arsenal through difficult years remains a name that travels, even when the story is no longer about a Premier League dressing room.
READ MORE: Arsenal star withdraws from international duty due to injury
Granit Xhaka has admitted he obtained a Covid-19 vaccination certificate during the pandemic. The Switzerland captain will not join the national team’s upcoming training camp and will miss the next Nations League matches.
“At the time, I was personally very uncertain and had serious reservations. I felt a deep distrust of the vaccine and was plagued by fears and uncertainty,” Xhaka wrote on Instagram.
“In that state of emotional turmoil, I obtained a vaccination certificate instead of clarifying my unanswered questions through the proper channels. Today, I clearly see that this was not the right course of action. It was a mistake. I’m sorry.”
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He added: “I take full responsibility for this decision, am prepared to address the facts of the matter, and will cooperate fully with the relevant authorities.”
The Swiss Football Association said the camp decision was taken together. “Following his personal statement regarding his vaccination status, Granit Xhaka will not participate in the upcoming men’s national team training camp. This decision was made jointly during a discussion between Xhaka and the SFV leadership.”
Xhaka told the association on Sunday evening. SFV president Peter Knäbel said: “We welcome the fact that Granit is taking this step and facing up to the issue. At the same time, we have jointly concluded that it is in the team’s best interest to play this match without him. For us, the priority now is to calm the situation and focus entirely on the team and the upcoming matches in the UEFA Nations League.”
Switzerland meet in Belek, Turkey, to prepare for away games against North Macedonia and Scotland. They then face Slovenia and North Macedonia in Lucerne on 3 and 6 October.
“Once this international break is over, we’ll reassess the situation together with Granit and discuss how to proceed,” Knäbel said.
The legal process sits with the authorities Xhaka says he will assist. For now the football outcome is simpler: Switzerland go into this camp without their captain, and Arsenal’s former midfielder will spend the break away from the Nati rather than in it.
Brighton 3-0 Arsenal
Brighton 3-0 Arsenal