Swiss striker Breel Embolo missed the national team’s September 2026 training camp after accepting a criminal order for procuring fake COVID-19 travel certificates in 2021. The Swiss Football Association confirmed he would sit out upcoming matches, marking a second COVID-related controversy for the squad alongside captain Granit Xhaka.
Criminal Order and the 2021 Fake Certificate Case
The underlying offense dates back to February 2021—a week before his 24th birthday, according to bluewin.ch—when Embolo, then playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach, arranged to purchase forged COVID-19 travel documents via WhatsApp. Bluewin.ch added that a member of the Hells Angels, who is scheduled to face the Basel Criminal Court in mid-May over multi-million-franc asset offenses, allegedly helped secure the certificates through a female accomplice working in a Basel medical laboratory. Embolo bought two fake certificates—one for himself and one for a female acquaintance, as detailed by srf.ch.
When public broadcaster investigations brought the conviction to light, Embolo accepted the findings and chose not to contest the penalty.
I have realized that my actions at the time were not right and have taken responsibility for them. That is why I accepted the criminal order.
Public records show the striker now has four legally binding convictions on his record, with the prior entries stemming from traffic offenses and other matters, according to reporting by Watson, while srf.ch specifically noted that his other convictions involve traffic offenses.
Swiss Football Association Pulls Embolo From Squad
The Swiss Football Association (SFV) acted quickly once the private-life matter became public knowledge, announcing on Friday that the player would not join the team camp. The SFV stated that the player informed the federation about the matter and that the leadership decided the team would contest the current gathering without him.
Logistically, Embolo would have missed the team’s opening match in Skopje on Saturday anyway due to an active suspension. He was slated to join teammates later in the international window for subsequent matches in Glasgow and Lucerne. Instead, the national selection handled the entire stage without him, with rtn.ch noting he now plays for Atlanta United in MLS after moving there over the summer.
Parallel Investigations and Team Disruption
Embolo’s absence compounds a turbulent international window for the Swiss squad, which is simultaneously managing an active inquiry surrounding team captain Granit Xhaka. The Lucerne public prosecutor’s office confirmed via communication head Simon Kopp that it is investigating Xhaka over the suspected acquisition of a fraudulent vaccination confirmation and/or document falsification from a local doctor, with Blick having first broken the news.
While Embolo’s legal proceedings have concluded with an accepted criminal order, Xhaka’s case remains at the preliminary investigation stage, with the player maintaining the presumption of innocence while cooperating with authorities and stating through his entourage that he possesses a confirmation from the doctor for two COVID-19 vaccinations. The dual controversies left the national team missing two cornerstone figures as they opened their Nations League campaign against North Macedonia.