“Absolute shock for me”
©IMAGO
There were irregularities in a doping test for winger Mykhaylo Mudryk. Chelsea FC confirmed on Tuesday that the 23-year-old had been diagnosed with the condition during a routine urine test. The English FA has contacted the Blues about this.
Chelsea said: “Both the club and Mykhaylo fully support the FA’s testing program and all of our players, including Mykhaylo, are tested regularly. Mykhaylo has categorically confirmed that he has never knowingly taken banned substances. Both Mykhaylo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to find out what led to the finding. The club will not comment further.”
Mudryk himself said, quoted by Fabrizio Romano: “I can confirm that I was informed that a sample I provided to the FA contained a banned substance. This comes as a complete shock to me as I have never knowingly used banned substances or broken any rules and I am working closely with my team to find out how this could have happened. I know I haven’t done anything wrong and I’m confident I’ll be able to get back on the pitch soon. Due to the confidential nature of the proceedings, I cannot say more at this stage, but I will as soon as I can.”
Doping? B sample at Mudryk still open
Previously, the Ukrainian media “Tribuna“ reported a positive test in October, reportedly for the drug meldonium or mildronate. Also “The Athletic“ writes about it, but in relation to international matches with Ukraine in November. The drug is considered to have cardiovascular and circulatory effects, but also promotes endurance in athletes, and was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2016. The B sample should be opened in the coming days, only then will it be clear whether Mudryk will face a ban.
Mudryk, who moved from Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea in January 2023 for a fee of 70 million euros and is under contract there until 2031, is not part of the permanent staff under coach Enzo Maresca. The 28-time national player only starts regularly in the Conference League, but scored three goals and three assists in four games. Across all competitions, he has played 850 minutes in 15 appearances. Mudryk was officially missing from the Chelsea squad for the last four games due to a viral illness.