Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended after failing a routine doping test, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
The Football Association notified Chelsea of an “adverse finding” in a urine sample provided by the 23-year-old Ukrainian player.
In a statement, Chelsea said, “Chelsea Football Club can confirm that 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.”
Mudryk also addressed the issue on his Instagram account. He said:
“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 I 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.”
According to the UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) rules, athletes face a ban of up to four years if found to have taken a banned substance intentionally. However, if the substance is specified or comes from a contaminated product, and the athlete proves they were not significantly at fault, the punishment could range from two years to just a reprimand.
Mudryk has played 15 matches for Chelsea this season, with his last appearance in a 2-0 win against Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League on November 28, where he scored his third goal of the season. He has not featured in Chelsea’s last five matches.
The winger joined Chelsea in January 2023 for a reported £88.5 million from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.
Chelsea currently sit second in the Premier League table and top their Conference League group under manager Enzo Maresca.
