Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been formally charged by the Football Association (FA) for breaching anti-doping regulations, following a failed drugs test that could result in a ban of up to four years.
The 24-year-old Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended since December after testing positive for a banned substance during a routine urine test. Although the FA has not officially named the substance, reports suggest the presence of meldonium, a performance-enhancing drug.
According to a statement on Wednesday, the FA confirmed: “We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with anti-doping rule violations alleging the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, under regulations three and four of the FA’s anti-doping rules. As this is an ongoing case, we will not be making any further comment at this time.”
Mudryk has not played for Chelsea since November 28 and was last included in the squad as an unused substitute against Aston Villa on December 1. Initially, manager Enzo Maresca attributed his absence to illness before the suspension was made public.
The winger, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, expressed shock at the initial findings, insisting he had “never knowingly used any banned substances.” Chelsea also launched their own internal investigation and had awaited confirmation from a second sample test.
Further signaling uncertainty around Mudryk’s future, Chelsea reassigned his No. 10 shirt to Cole Palmer earlier this month, leaving the Ukrainian without a squad number ahead of the new season.
Mudryk’s Chelsea career has so far been marked by inconsistency. He has made 73 appearances across all competitions, scoring just 10 goals, and managed only one Premier League start last season, a win over Wolves in August.
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