What happened and where the case stands
Mykhailo Mudryk is facing the biggest fight of his Chelsea career after the Football Association charged him with anti-doping violations over a positive test for meldonium, a substance banned in sport since 2016. The 24-year-old Ukrainian tested positive from a sample collected at the end of October and was provisionally suspended in December 2024. He has missed Chelsea’s last five matches.
The FA confirmed the charge but said it cannot comment further while the case is active. Chelsea have also declined to discuss details. Head coach Enzo Maresca initially put Mudryk’s absence down to illness. He has since said the winger remains part of the squad “until further notice,” though a provisional suspension prevents him from playing and puts any return on hold until the case is resolved.
Mudryk has publicly denied wrongdoing. In a message to supporters on Instagram, he said the result was a “complete shock” and that he has “never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules.” People close to the player say his team is exploring how the substance could have entered his system and is preparing a contamination defence, with one line of inquiry focusing on something he may have taken while outside the United Kingdom.
The stakes are high. Under global anti-doping rules, a positive test can bring a ban of up to four years if the violation is judged intentional. If an athlete proves the use was not intentional, the starting point usually falls to two years, and it can be reduced further if they show “no significant fault” or contamination. The outcome will be decided by an independent panel after a formal hearing.
For Chelsea, the uncertainty lands in the middle of a demanding season and raises awkward questions about squad planning. The club paid around £89 million to sign Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 and mapped out a long development path for him. Any lengthy suspension would disrupt that trajectory and test the club’s patience with a player they believed could evolve into a top-tier Premier League attacker.
What is meldonium and what penalty could he face?
Meldonium, also known by its brand name Mildronate, is a metabolic modulator developed in Latvia and prescribed in parts of Eastern Europe for heart and circulation issues. It is not licensed in the UK. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned it in 2016 after studies and intelligence suggested athletes were using it to improve endurance and recovery. It sits on the Prohibited List in the class of metabolic modulators and is banned both in and out of competition.
The most high-profile meldonium case to date involved tennis player Maria Sharapova, who tested positive shortly after the ban took effect in 2016. She received a suspension that was later reduced on appeal after an arbitration panel accepted she did not intend to cheat. That case underlined two realities: the strict liability principle—athletes are responsible for what is in their bodies—and the possibility of a reduced sanction if they can demonstrate lack of intent and limited fault.
Football has seen far fewer doping cases than some endurance sports, but they do happen. English football follows the UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) framework. The process is familiar: a positive A sample leads to a provisional suspension and a charge; the athlete may request analysis of the B sample; they then choose to admit or contest the charge. A hearing before the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) examines evidence from both sides—lab results, medical records, supplement logs, travel history, and expert testimony—before issuing a written decision. Sanctions can be backdated in certain circumstances and appeals are available through established channels.
If Mudryk can show the substance entered his body via a contaminated product and that he took reasonable care, the panel could significantly reduce any ban. If the panel finds intent, he risks four years out. In practical terms, even a shorter suspension would sideline him across all sports governed by the WADA Code. A ban is global, not limited to the Premier League.
There is also the human factor. Players rely on team doctors, nutritionists, and personal staff, especially when they travel or train away from their club. The risk often hides in supplements or medications sourced outside tightly regulated markets. That’s why many club medical departments run closed systems—only approved products, batch-tested where possible, with strict logs. If Mudryk’s camp argues contamination, expect them to present receipts, batch numbers, and independent lab tests to trace the source.
On the football side, Chelsea must navigate the uncertainty week-to-week. A provisional suspension means Mudryk cannot play, and his involvement in club activities is limited by anti-doping rules and club policy. The club can still provide support—legal, medical, and welfare—while the case runs its course. From a squad perspective, Maresca has leaned on other wide players and academy options to cover the minutes. January and summer planning could shift depending on how long this drags on.
One curious twist is the noise around a possible switch to athletics. Reports in Ukraine and the UK suggest Mudryk has long harbored an interest in sprinting and could explore a bid for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It sounds dramatic, but the reality is simple: any sanction under the WADA Code would apply across sports. If he is cleared or receives a backdated, short suspension, track might become a hobby or off-season project. If he is banned for longer, the track route would remain closed until the suspension ends.
So what happens next? Mudryk will formally respond to the charge, if he hasn’t already. A B-sample analysis, if requested, would be scheduled. Both sides will prepare for a hearing—collecting medical records, supplement lists, and expert reports. Timelines vary, but contested cases can take months. If he is cleared, he could return quickly. If he is sanctioned, the written decision will set out the length of the ban and the reasons, and it will be published once confidentiality rules allow.
It’s a messy, uncomfortable story for a gifted player whose Chelsea career has already been under the microscope. For now, all eyes are on the evidence. The science will matter. The paperwork will matter. And the panel’s view of intent—and whether contamination is proven—will decide whether Mudryk’s setback is a short detour or a long exile from the game.