Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after being handed a four-year ban by the Football Association for doping.
CAS confirmed on February 25 that it had accepted his appeal to the FA. The FA, Chelsea and the player’s lawyer have not commented.
Chelsea signed Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for £88 million, but he still has five years left on his contract.
The test came back positive for the banned substance meldonium, but Mudryk believes the sample was contaminated while he was on an international mission with Ukraine in October 2024.
Mudryk was provisionally suspended by the FA in December 2024 after failing a drug test.
In a statement the same month, Mudryk said failing the drug test was a “complete shock” and that he had “done nothing wrong”.
Chelsea launched their own investigation shortly after the start of free agency and said the then 23-year-old insisted he had “never knowingly used any prohibited substances”.
The Ukraine international, who was signed for £88.5m from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, last played and scored in a 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Conference League against Heidenheim in Germany on 28 November 2024.
Now, 16 months after his initial suspension, Mudrik maintains his innocence. He has been working with a personal trainer to keep fit away from Chelsea’s Cobham training ground. Chelsea will allow this process to proceed in its entirety.
Mudryk has not played for Chelsea since November 2024
Analysis: “The FA hasn’t said anything about Mudryk’s suspension”
Sky Sports News Chief Correspondent Kaveh Solhekol:
“The only reason we know Mudryk was suspended by the Football Association is because it was confirmed by CAS that he lodged a complaint with the Football Association.
“The FA themselves haven’t said anything at all because it’s a secret process. Chelsea haven’t said anything and the player’s lawyer hasn’t said anything either.”
“Mudryk signed for Chelsea for a big sum. He hasn’t played for Chelsea for almost 18 months. He took a doping test during his stint with the Ukraine national team, not when he was playing for Chelsea.”
“He has tested positive for meldonium. We believe it was due to meldonium. He was provisionally suspended by the Football Association in December 2024 and it has now been revealed that he was charged with an anti-doping violation by the Football Association in June last year.”
“Since then, there has been radio silence. We didn’t know what was going on until today.
“Having already served a provisional ban of almost 18 months, if he declines his appeal it looks like he won’t be able to play until the end of 2028. That would be a blow to the player and a blow to Chelsea.”
