Things have gone from bad to worse for Mykhailo Mudryk. The Chelsea winger has officially been charged by the Football Association (FA) over doping offences, a move that could potentially hand him a ban of up to four years.
Mykhailo Mudryk Faces Doping Charge
The charge stems from a positive A sample provided last year, and the substance in question? Meldonium, a performance-enhancing drug that’s been on WADA’s banned list since 2016.
The 24-year-old Ukraine international hasn’t played a competitive game since November and has been under provisional suspension while Chelsea and the player waited for results of his B sample. And now, things have escalated.
The FA Speaks Out
An FA spokesperson issued a brief statement:
“We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with anti-doping rule violations alleging the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, in terms of Regulations 3 and 4 of the FA’s Anti-Doping Regulations. As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time.”
Chelsea have chosen not to comment on the matter, keeping everything tightly under wraps.
Mykhailo Mudryk’s Legal Team Steps In
Mudryk has hired Morgan Sports Law, a firm with previous experience in high-profile doping cases. They’re the same team that helped Paul Pogba get his four-year doping ban reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The winger has consistently denied knowingly taking any banned substances. According to his team, he tested negative in August and has “not changed his behaviour since.”
Mudryk Breaks His Silence
Back in December, the winger shared a statement on Instagram:
“I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance. This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.
I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.”
From Star Signing to Isolation
Mudryk signed for Chelsea in January 2023 from Shakhtar Donetsk for an initial fee of £62 million. But his rise in West London has come to a screeching halt.
Due to the terms of his provisional ban, he hasn’t been allowed to train at Chelsea’s Cobham base or even work with teammates. That’s total football exile.
Still, he made headlines again recently when he travelled solo to Wroclaw to watch Chelsea beat Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final. He even joined in the post-match celebrations, but the writing might be on the wall, his No. 10 shirt has since been handed over to Cole Palmer.
