Decision made on Xhaka’s future with Switzerland

Granit Xhaka will return to the Switzerland national team for the November matches, the Swiss Football Association announced on Tuesday. Breel Embolo will also return to Switzerland alongside Xhaka; he too missed the first four matches of the fifth edition of the Nations League.

Both were absent due to circumstances related to COVID-19.

At the beginning of the month, Xhaka received a suspended sentence from the Lucerne Public Prosecutor’s Office for falsifying a COVID-19 certificate.

The 34-year-old received a suspended fine totalling 150,000 francs.

He will have to pay the fine only if he commits an offence during the next two years.

After “Blick” reported on 18 September that criminal proceedings had been initiated against Xhaka, Xhaka admitted three days later that he had bought a falsified COVID-19 certificate in 2022. As a result, the Switzerland team held its first training camp after the World Cup without its captain. Switzerland won all four of its first matches in the fifth edition of the Nations League.

“We examined this matter from different perspectives. The specific circumstances of both cases, the completed legal proceedings and the sporting consequences that have already occurred all played a part in the decision. We are convinced that a return to the national team in November is responsible and the right thing to do,” national team director Pierluigi Tami told the Swiss Football Association’s website.

Xhaka will remain Switzerland’s captain.

The association announced that Xhaka would remain captain.

Head coach Murat Yakin also spoke about the returns of Xhaka and Embolo

“I’m happy that I can once again select players for the team without restrictions in November,” Yakin said.

Yakin will announce the list of players for the last two Nations League matches against Slovenia and Scotland on Thursday, 5 November