Soccer

Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk provisionally suspended after failing drugs test

Ukrainian winger is waiting for results of ‘B’ sample but says he has ‘never knowingly used banned substances’

Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after being notified of a positive drugs test by the Football Association. Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA
Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after being notified of a positive drugs test by the Football Association. Photograph: Zac Goodwin/PA
Jacob Steinberg
Tue Dec 17 2024 - 10:40

Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after being notified of a positive drugs test by the English Football Association.

The winger has not featured in the club’s past five matches. Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s manager, has cited illness as the cause of Mudryk’s absence.

However it has emerged that Mudryk, who has struggled since joining Chelsea for €100 million in January 2023, has been missing since producing a contaminated A sample. The Ukraine international is waiting to find out whether the result of a B sample confirms the initial findings.

A club statement said: “Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.

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“Both the club and Mykhailo fully support the FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.

“Both Mykhailo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding. The club will not be commenting any further.”

Mudryk has started only one Premier League game this season, in which he was taken off at half-time, but has been a regular in the Conference League and Carabao Cup. His most recent appearance was at Heidenheim on November 28th, when he scored in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory.

He posted on Instagram: “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. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.”

The FA’s anti-doping advice card for players starts by stating: “As a player you are solely responsible for any banned substance you use or that is found in your system, regardless of how it got there and whether there was an intention to cheat or not.” It points players to the Wada prohibited list and says they are “strongly advised to be very cautious if they choose to take any supplement”.

The FA declined to comment. – Guardian