Mykhailo Mudryk has officially been charged by the Football Association (FA) for doping offences and could now face a ban of up to four years, according to a report by Matt Law in The Telegraph.
The charge follows the results of a drug test conducted after a Ukraine match in 2024, which detected the banned substance Meldonium in Mudryk’s system.
The Chelsea winger has been provisionally suspended ever since, pending the outcome of his “B” sample, now believed to have also tested positive.
An FA spokesperson confirmed the ruling, stating that the winger had a banned substance in his system.
“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 Regulation,” he said.
Mudryk has denied knowingly taking any banned substances. In a statement last December, he described the positive test as “a complete shock” and insisted he had “not done anything wrong.”
Chelsea also supported the player at the time, saying the then 23-year-old maintained that he had never knowingly used any prohibited substances.
The winger, signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for £88.5 million, last played for Chelsea in a UEFA Conference League match against German side Heidenheim on November 28, 2024.
Since then, he has been out of action under provisional suspension.
FA rules require a player to be informed and suspended upon a positive drug test while a full investigation is carried out before a formal charge is issued.
Now that charges have been filed, a disciplinary hearing will follow to determine the length of Mudryk’s ban.
A standard sanction for doping offences involving substances like Meldonium can be as long as four years unless the player proves mitigating factors.
Chelsea could reportedly consider terminating Mudryk’s contract depending on the outcome of the case.
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Meanwhile, watch the latest edition of Sports Check with former Hearts of Oak midfielder Frederick Ansah Botchway
