Chelsea winger Mudryk cleared

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is free to resume competitive football with immediate effect after resolving his doping case with the Football Association (FA), ending a suspension that kept him out of action for nearly two years.

The 25-year-old Ukraine international had not featured in a competitive match since November 2024 after being provisionally suspended following an adverse finding for the banned substance meldonium during an out-of-competition test while on international duty in October 2024.

Mudryk was initially handed a four-year ban by the FA but appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The case has now been settled after the player admitted to breaching anti-doping regulations and accepted a suspension equivalent to the period he had already served.

In a statement, the FA confirmed that the disciplinary proceedings had been concluded, allowing Mudryk to return to competition immediately.

The governing body also revealed that the sample contained a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited cardiovascular medication that can enhance respiratory capacity and endurance.

The FA noted that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has since amended its technical guidance regarding meldonium. Under the current thresholds, the concentration detected in Mudryk’s sample would not have been reported as an adverse finding. However, the changes are not applied retrospectively.

Reacting to the decision, Mudryk expressed relief after what he described as the most difficult period of his career.

“I am grateful to be able to return to playing after the most difficult period of my career,” he said. “As I have always maintained from the outset of this case, I have never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance.”