Breel Embolo Withdrawn from Switzerland Squad Amid Forged Test Claims
Switzerland will begin its Nations League campaign without Breel Embolo after the Atlanta United forward was withdrawn from the squad ahead of Saturday’s visit to North Macedonia.
The 29-year-old was due to link up with the group for Tuesday’s match in Scotland, but the Swiss federation acted following renewed reports concerning forged COVID-19 test certificates obtained in 2021. It said the move was intended to keep the squad’s attention on the upcoming fixtures.
Quick facts
- Breel Embolo has been removed from Switzerland’s Nations League squad.
- Captain Granit Xhaka had already stepped aside amid a separate investigation over false vaccination certificates.
- Switzerland open their second-tier Nations League group away to North Macedonia on Saturday.
- Embolo was unavailable for that game anyway after his World Cup dismissal against Argentina.
Embolo is the second senior Switzerland player to leave the squad because of cases linked to the pandemic. Xhaka reached an agreement with federation officials last weekend to withdraw while an investigation continues into a doctor accused of issuing fraudulent vaccination documents.
Fresh reporting on Friday detailed the financial penalty Embolo received last year in relation to the false test paperwork. The matter had been known previously, but its return to public attention prompted the federation’s latest decision.
His absence for the North Macedonia fixture had already been confirmed by suspension. Embolo was sent off during Switzerland’s World Cup quarter-final against Argentina in a decision later recognised as erroneous by IFAB’s Zurich-based rules panel, which found that video-review protocol had been breached.
Switzerland’s Nations League schedule continues at Scotland on Tuesday. The side will then host Slovenia and North Macedonia in Lucerne.
Embolo played a significant role in Switzerland’s World Cup run, scoring in the opening 1-1 draw against Qatar and again in the round-of-32 victory over Algeria. He arrived late for the tournament after a visa problem involving United States authorities delayed his travel.
