Mykhailo Mudryk, a winger for Chelsea, has apparently filed a formal appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), bringing his protracted doping case to a critical point. After testing positive for the illegal drug meldonium in November 2024, the 25-year-old Ukrainian international has been shelved.
Mudryk’s career is essentially on stop while the legal procedure is ongoing, and he has been in a state of professional limbo for about 18 months. The incident started in December 2024 when a regular urine test revealed an “adverse finding” while he was serving overseas, prompting the FA to give an interim suspension.
In June 2025, an official charge for Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRV) was filed, claiming the usage of an illegal drug. According to the FA‘s annual intermediary transactions statement, Chelsea allegedly registered a revised contract for the player this month despite the pending suspension, which may last up to four years if the first conviction is maintained.
Chelsea forward Mudryk appeals to Cas against reported four-year ban
Regulation 77 of the FA’s anti-doping policy stipulates that a violation involving either a non-listed drug, unless it can be proven that the violation was not purposeful, or a defined substance, if the FA can prove the violation was malicious, will result in a four-year ban.
Mudryk claimed that the positive sample had come as “a complete shock” and that he had “not done anything wrong” in a statement released at the time of his suspension. Chelsea added that the player had “never knowingly used any banned substances”.
In January 2023, Mudryk moved from Shakhtar Donetsk to Chelsea for an estimated £89 million. Prior to his temporary ban, he hardly maintained a regular spot in the team despite scoring 10 goals in 73 games across all competitions.
Chelsea said they had to let the process unfold and declined to comment on the news. Regarding pending processes, the FA stated they would not comment.
