Mykhailo Mudryk to join Chelsea in Hong Kong after drug ban ends two years early
Chelsea welcomed the decision and said they will support the 25-year-old’s “reintegration into the squad” while “helping him resume his career”
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk can return to playing immediately after the Football Association and the World Anti-Doping Agency “resolved his appeal” against a ban for failing a doping test.
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The Ukrainian was suspended for four years after failing a drug test which revealed the presence of a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance, in 2024.
Mudryk filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport while changes to WADA procedures in the interim mean that had his failed test produced the same result now, charges would not have been brought.
The FA said: “Changes have been made… which, while not retroactive, mean that if Mr Mudryk’s sample was collected today, the concentration of meldonium in the sample would not have been reported and no anti-doping rule violations would have resulted.
“Further to that development and to other circumstances of the case, the FA and Mr Mudryk have now – with the agreement of WADA – resolved the appeal proceedings.
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“As a part of the agreement, Mr Mudryk accepted that he had committed the ADRVs charged and acceded to a period of ineligibility equal to the time served at the date of the agreement.
“Mr Mudryk is no longer ineligible and may return to competition with immediate effect.”
Mudryk joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for £62million in 2023 and had made 73 appearances, scoring nine goals, before his ban.
Chelsea welcomed the decision and said they will support the 25-year-old’s “reintegration into the squad” while “helping him resume his career”.
A club statement read: “Chelsea FC acknowledges today’s announcement by the Football Association confirming the resolution of the anti-doping proceedings involving Mykhailo Mudryk.
“From the outset, this has been an extremely difficult period for Misha, both professionally and personally, and we are pleased that the matter has now reached a conclusion which allows him to return to football with immediate effect.
“We have always supported Misha throughout this process while fully respecting the integrity of the anti-doping system and the legal process.
“We welcome the acknowledgement that advances in the applicable scientific reporting standards for more reliable testing mean that, had Misha’s sample been analysed under today’s technical requirements, it would not have been reported as a positive test and no anti-doping rule violation would have resulted.
“That is an important part of the context surrounding the agreed resolution and allows everyone involved to move forward.
“Misha has consistently maintained that he never knowingly or intentionally used a prohibited substance and did not know how traces of the substance entered his system.
“Throughout this process he has conducted himself professionally and with resilience during what has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging periods of his career.“We know how much this opportunity to return means to him. Our focus now is on supporting Misha’s reintegration into the squad and helping him resume his career.”
Mudryk said the suspension had been the “most difficult period of my career” and that he was “grateful” to be able to return.
He wrote on Instagram: “After a long battle, the four-year ban that was imposed on me has been rescinded and I am free to resume my career with immediate effect.
“I am grateful that this process has reached a conclusion, that I have been cleared to return to football and that I can now look ahead to my future.
“This has been the most difficult period of my career.”
In a statement, Mudryk’s agent Vadim Shablii said: “I’ve seen first hand the way he handled this period with resilience, professionalism and character. That says far more about him than anything else. Thank you to everyone who stood by him and respected the process. Now it’s time to move forward.”