Chelsea's Mudryk in positive drug test, faces ban
James Olley, a Senior Writer for ESPN FC, reported on December 17, 2024, at 10:27 AM.
Chelsea's winger Mykhailo Mudryk expressed his surprise after learning that he had tested positive for a banned substance, as informed by the Football Association.
On Tuesday, reports from Ukraine indicated that an illegal substance was detected in an "A" sample provided at the end of October. The reports also mention that the "B" sample has not been analyzed yet, but testing is expected to take place in the coming days.
If it's confirmed that Mudryk has taken a prohibited substance, he could face a significant suspension from football, possibly lasting as long as four years.
An insider informed ESPN that Mudryk has been temporarily suspended while an investigation is underway. However, both the FA and Chelsea declined to comment when ESPN reached out for confirmation.
Mudryk, who is 23 years old, has not played in the team's last five games because head coach Enzo Maresca mentioned that he was unwell.
Mudryk posted on Instagram, "I can confirm that I have received information indicating that a sample I submitted to the FA tested positive for a prohibited substance."
I'm truly astounded by this situation, as I have never intentionally used any prohibited substances or violated any regulations. I'm currently collaborating with my team to explore how this may have occurred.
"I’m confident that I haven’t made any mistakes and I'm really looking forward to getting back on the field soon. Right now, I can’t share much more because of the privacy of the situation, but I promise to provide updates as soon as I’m able."
Chelsea released a statement saying: "We can confirm that the Football Association has recently reached out to our player Mykhailo Mudryk regarding an unfavorable result from a standard urine test."
The club and Mykhailo are completely behind The FA's testing initiative, and all our players, including Mykhailo, undergo regular testing. Mykhailo has firmly stated that he has never intentionally taken any prohibited substances.
Mykhailo and the club will collaborate with the appropriate authorities to determine the cause of the negative result. The club will refrain from making any additional comments.
According to FA regulations, if a player receives notice of a positive test result, their club has the authority to temporarily suspend them. This suspension lasts until the player has a chance to respond and until a second sample, known as a 'B' sample, is tested.
Mudryk moved to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for a price that might reach £88 million. Since then, his experience in England has been inconsistent, as he has only started 26 Premier League matches in total, with just one appearance as a starter this season.
The Ukrainian forward has frequently participated in the Europa Conference League, where Maresca has implemented significant changes from his usual Premier League starting XI.
