The Swiss Football Association has announced that national team captain Granit Xhaka and striker Breel Embolo are once again available for selection ahead of next month's upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. Both players had previously been dropped from the squad and forced to sit out the initial four Nations League matches held in September and October.

The disciplinary action stemmed from a high-profile pandemic-era scandal in which midfielder Granit Xhaka allegedly admitted to utilizing a forged vaccination certificate to bypass mandatory inoculation requirements. Similarly, forward Breel Embolo acknowledged that a penal order issued against him was directly related to fraudulent COVID-19 documentation.

According to statements released by the Swiss governing body, officials thoroughly examined both cases and purportedly concluded that reinstating the players is justifiable now that legal proceedings have concluded and sporting penalties—having missed four international games—have been served. National team director Pierluigi Tami claimed that bringing the players back into the fold in November is a responsible course of action.

Despite the legal infractions which saw both athletes handed suspended fines of 150,000 Swiss francs with a two-year probationary period, Swiss coach Murat Yakin and the player council unanimously decided that Xhaka will retain the team captaincy. The European regime's football authorities are now preparing for upcoming crucial matches against Slovenia and Scotland.

Source: www.aljazeera.com