Switzerland expel Breel Embolo after forged Covid vaccine certificate case

Breel Embolo has been withdrawn from the Switzerland squad after admitting his involvement in a case involving forged Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

The Swiss Football Association announced on Friday that the Atlanta United forward would not join the national team’s current camp, following the publication of details about his personal legal case.

“Breel Embolo informed the Swiss Football Association about the matter concerning his private life, which was leaked to the media today,” the association said.

“As a result, the management of the association has decided that the player will not join the national team as planned, and that the team will continue its current training camp without him.”

Embolo, a former Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach striker, reportedly obtained fraudulent vaccination certificates in 2021 from a member of the Hells Angels gang.

Swiss media reports said the Basel public prosecutor’s office issued a court order against him on 25 November 2025. He was charged with several offences relating to incitement to forgery and received a suspended fine of 3,000 Swiss francs for each day.

Embolo, who now plays for Atlanta United, did not deny the allegations. He told Swiss newspaper Schweiz Heute: “I realised that my actions at the time were wrong and took responsibility for them, which is why I accepted the court ruling.”

The Swiss Football Association’s decision to remove him from the squad came after the court ruling was published on Friday.

His absence means Switzerland will be without two key players for their Nations League campaign. Captain Granit Xhaka, 33, admitted earlier this week that he had also obtained a similar forged certificate.

Xhaka is a former player of Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen. Embolo’s exclusion leaves Switzerland without both their captain and their first-choice forward as they prepare for four important Group B fixtures.

Switzerland will travel to face North Macedonia and Scotland on 26 and 29 September respectively. They will then host Slovenia and North Macedonia in Lucerne on 3 and 6 October.

The developments have added to the problems surrounding the Swiss national team, with the squad now preparing for the decisive run of matches without two of its most prominent players.