Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the Football Association with anti-doping violations.
Mudryk was provisionally suspended by the FA in December 2024 after failing a drugs test.
The positive test was for the prohibited substance meldonium which was administered abroad when Mudryk was not on Chelsea duty. Mudryk had played for Ukraine in Albania and Georgia in November 2024.
An FA spokesperson said: “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.”
Mudryk faces a potential ban of up to four years under FA rules.
In a statement last December, Mudryk said his failed drug test was “a complete shock” and said he had “not done anything wrong”.
Chelsea launched their own investigation and said the then 23-year-old insisted he “has never knowingly used any banned substances”.
Mudryk believes his sample was contaminated, with nothing thought to have changed in his diet since he passed a UK Anti-Doping test in August.
Mudryk has not been allowed to train at Cobham and has instead been on an individual fitness programme at home. He went to the Conference League final in Poland in a personal capacity, and although he was photographed wearing a Chelsea bodywarmer, he was not part of the travelling party.
The Ukraine international, signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88.5m in January 2023, last played for Chelsea in a 2-0 win at German side Heidenheim in the Conference League on November 28.
FA rules dictate that a player is informed of a positive test and provisionally suspended before a decision is taken on a formal charge.
‘Mudryk faces legal process to clear name’
Sky Sports News’ chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:
“This is a big blow for Mudryk, who has always maintained his innocence.
“He joined Chelsea in a big-money deal with the club convincing him at the last minute to move to Stamford Bridge instead of Arsenal. He signed an eight-year contract but now he has to focus on clearing his name.
“If he’s found guilty of this violation by the FA, he will not be able to play any football at all until probably 2029.
“He is using the same lawyers as Paul Pogba used when he was charged with an anti-doping violation. All the indications I’ve had all along have been that Mudryk absolutely maintains his innocence. Now he has to go through the whole legal process
“I know there were some shocked people at Chelsea when the player himself turned up at the Conference League final. On the day of the game, there were some pictures on social media of him wearing a Chelsea gilet and he was posing for pictures with fans.
“Chelsea made it very clear that he was travelling to that game independently. He was not part of the Chelsea squad that flew out for that final.
“He’s been working on his fitness personally to try to stay fit but it could be a long, hard road back for Mudryk, who maintains his innocence and is convinced that he will clear his name.”
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