Chelsea left winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been handed a potential four-year ban for alleged doping violations.
It could be that we’re now not going to see the Ukraine international back in action for a long time, though the case is far from fully resolved just yet, according to Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports.
The journalist has given some insight into what happened with Mudryk, whilst explaining that the player himself is adamant that he did nothing wrong.
Despite testing positive for a banned substance meldonium in one sample, it’s not been officially confirmed if this was also the result of a second drug test.
Still, it might be a while before we learn precisely how this is going to pan out, with Mudryk expected to be part of a lengthy legal battle.
What happened with Mykhailo Mudryk?
Mudryk has been out of action for some time now, and Solhekol has given a neat explainer of precisely this all panned out and what it could mean for what happens next.
Speaking on a video report for Sky, he said: “The story starts back in November when Mudryk was on international duty with Ukraine … it was only in December that we found out that he had a drug test when he was away from Chelsea.
“The A sample had tested positive for a banned substance, and that substance was meldonium, which is classified as a performance-enhancing substance.
“In December, he was immediately provisionally suspended, and that meant that he could not play for Chelsea and that he could not train with Chelsea.
“We had to wait for the result of the B sample – the protocol in drug tests is that you always have an A sample and a B sample – just to be 100% sure about what the finding is, because it’s such a serious issue.
“We have never been told officially that the B sample also tested positive for meldonium, but you would have to assume that it did because in the past hour the Football Association have announced that Mudryk has been charged with an anti-doping violation.”
How long could Mykhailo Mudryk be banned for?
Solhekol also provided some insight into how long Mudryk could be out for, with the former Shakhtar Donetsk man having already been suspended for the last six months.
This means Mudryk has been unable to be involved with Chelsea in any capacity – whether representing them on the pitch or even visiting their training ground.
“Worst case scenario, he is facing a four-year ban, which means that he would not be able to play football again until at least 2029,” Solhekol added, though he also emphasised that players in similar situations have previously seen bans overturned or reduced slightly on appeal.
“This is going to be a long legal process, and the important thing is the player himself feels he has done nothing wrong. He’s devastated, this is his livelihood, and for six months he’s not even been able to go to Chelsea’s training ground.
“He’s been keeping fit, he’s been training on his own. I assume he’s been using a personal trainer and going to the gym, but I think that Chelsea have been prepared for this eventuality.”
Solhekol added that Mudryk made his own way to watch Chelsea in the Europa Conference League final, essentially attending the game as a fan as he was not allowed to be involved with Enzo Maresca’s squad.
The 24-year-old has scored 10 goals in 73 games for Chelsea since joining the west London giants in January 2023.
