Statements have been released by both Chelsea and Mykhailo Mudryk with the footballer reportedly in a ‘drugs test fail’.
It has been confirmed that the Football Association recently contacted winger Mykhailo Mudryk concerning “an adverse finding” in a routine urine test.
Chelsea’s statement says that their Ukraine winger Mykhailo Mudryk “never knowingly used any banned substances” and that he and the club are “working with the authorities to establish the cause of the adverse finding”.
Club statement: Mykhailo Mudryk.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 17, 2024
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CHELSEA STATEMENT
Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.
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 STATEMENT
I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance.
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 💙
FA rules state that a player notified of a test result can then be provisionally suspended. They then have the chance to respond with an explanation before a decision is made on a potential charge.
The 23-year-old hasn’t played for the Blues since the 28th of November and has missed the past five matches in all competitions.
He was listed in the matchday squad for his side’s win against Aston Villa on the 1st of December but didn’t play a part of it.
Head coach Enzo Maresca had said publicly that Mudryk’s absence had been down to an illness.
Rob Harris said on Sky News: He has been provisionally suspended after testing positive following an a routine drug test that took place.
“This perhaps would explain Mudryk’s recent absence from the team is not featured in the last 5 matches last played in November.
“Mudryk, really, one of the big signings of this current post Abramovich, Chelsea era signed for £88,000,000 from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023.
“The Ukrainian international, one of the big stars, hoping to propel Chelsea back to the glories. And this comes at a time, really, where Chelsea had started to revive on the pitch, currently 2nd in the Premier League, and now they’ll be waiting just to see what will happen to one of their star players.
“Now very few details are known about this. A couple of reports suggesting that he’s only had his first sample tested. There is always a backup B sample that can be requested to be tested by any athletes that tests positive in such a way to check that they do actually align in terms of those readings, and also suggest it could relate to a contamination of a of a substance.
“Now doping cases are very rare in football. Very recently, the former Manchester United player, Paul Pogba, did receive a ban that was reduced to 18 months.
“And as things stand, nothing from the Football Association, but the belief is that the Chelsea player, Mudryk, has been provisionally suspended following this adverse analytical finding, after a routine urine test.”
The Athletic say they been told by multiple sources, who wish to remain anonymous as they are not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, that the footballer tested positive for meldonium following international duty with Ukraine in November.
Meldonium is an anti-ischemia medication, which, according to USADA (the United States Anti-Doping Agency), is typically used clinically to treat “those suffering from heart conditions, such as low blood flow to the heart and angina”.
For athletes, it can assist with endurance and the capacity to recover from exercise.
It is not approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States and is only prescribed in parts of eastern Europe and had been added to the World Anti-Doping Authority’s (WADA) banned list in January 2016 and is prohibited at all times, both in and out of competition.
The English FA’s anti-doping regulations state that any breaches will be dealt with as strict liability violations, so any player will be found guilty of a violation if a prohibited substance is found in that player’s body. It’s not necessary to demonstrate intent, the regulations say. A footballer’s alleged lack of intent or knowledge is also not considered a valid defence to a charge.
A violation of the FA’s anti-doping regulations carries with it a maximum penalty of a four-year suspension although mitigating factors can reduce that from anywhere from two years to a month.
Multiple sources said to the The Athletic on Monday that Mudryk intends to defend his position, with the player’s stance explained by people familiar with the case to be that he didn’t intentionally take the substance and that there is a suspicion of sabotage, however, The Athletic say they haven’t been able to independently verify that claim.
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