Updated: 29 Apr 2026 16:03 BST |
4 min read
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been handed a four-year ban by the FA for an anti-doping offence.
The Ukraine international has not played a competitive game of football since late 2024, when he was provisionally suspended after failing a drug test. Mudryk was alleged to have tested positive for a banned substance while on international duty.
Updates on his fate have been few and far between, but last summer, the FA officially confirmed that it had charged the 25-year-old for his offence. A final verdict has still not yet been officially publicised.
However, Ben Jacobs now reports that the FA has meted out the maximum punishment and handed Mudryk a four-year ban. Given that he has already missed 18 months of action, he will be sidelined for another two-and-a-half years if the FA’s ruling is upheld.
Shortly before Jacobs disclosed this information, reports began to spread that Mudryk’s case had gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which suggested that there had been major developments behind the scenes.
Mudryk to appeal against ban
It is now clear that these updates emerged because Mudryk has been banned. CAS has confirmed that the winger has appealed the FA’s ruling, with a hearing on the case “yet to be scheduled.”
Interestingly, Mudryk already filed the appeal in late February, so the FA’s decision must have been communicated to him at the start of the year. Given the highly confidential nature of the case, it is not surprising that this information is only emerging now.
The two parties are “currently exchanging written submissions,” CAS states. If the FA’s decision is upheld by the Court, it will be a devastating blow to Mudryk’s career. Indeed, it could be the end of his time at Chelsea.
He is still under contract with the Blues until 2031, but his deal could be terminated for cause by the club. Juventus, for example, axed Paul Pogba even after he had his doping ban shortened to 18 months.
Mudryk, who cost €70 million in January 2023, has already proved to be a major money sink for the Blues. He struggled to perform in his first 18 months at the club and is regarded as one of the most disappointing signings in club history.
It may sound cynical, but Chelsea actually have a vested interest in Mudryk never playing for the club again. There are still up to €30m in performance-related bonuses in the agreement they signed with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Considering that Chelsea have incurred massive financial losses and already breached UEFA’s spending rules, saving such a hefty chunk of money would be quite useful.
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