Mykhailo Mudryk hit with four-year doping ban as Chelsea star takes action | Football

A four-year ban has been handed to Mudryk following an investigation by the FA. The Ukrainian has appealed the decision and filed documents with CAS earlier this year. CAS have confirmed his intention to challenge the “imposed period of ineligibility of four years”, stating that the parties are “currently exchanging written submissions, and a hearing is yet to be scheduled”.

He hasn’t played for Chelsea or Ukraine since November 2024, just before he was contacted by the FA and informed about the findings in the test. Mudryk’s No.10 shirt number was given to Cole Palmer at the beginning of the 2024/25 season.

Mudryk has denied the allegations, and in a statement released last year, said: “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.”

Four years is the maximum punishment for a guilty offence, with 16 months having already passed since he was sidelined for the suspected positive test. Mudryk is under contract until 2030, having signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023.

BBC Sport claim that Mudryk is believed to have come into contact with the cardiovascular medication, meldonium, while on international duty with Ukraine, which can help to increase stamina and respiratory capacity. The Ukrainian Football Association didn’t deny the claim, but insisted none of their staff members were involved.

Meldonium has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2016, and is often used in Eastern European countries to treat certain heart problems. Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was found to have meldonium in her system after a drug test in 2016.