Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended by the Football Association (FA) after an “adverse finding” was identified in a routine drugs test.
The Premier League club confirmed the development on Tuesday, emphasising the player’s denial of knowingly using banned substances.
The 23-year-old, who has not featured in Chelsea‘s last four matches, described the news as a “complete shock” in a statement on social media, asserting that he has “not done anything wrong.”
Chelsea released a statement addressing the situation:
“Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test. Both the club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s testing programme, and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested.”
The statement reiterated Mudryk’s insistence that he had never knowingly consumed banned substances and confirmed the club’s commitment to cooperating with the authorities to determine the cause of the adverse finding. Chelsea concluded by stating it would not comment further on the matter.
Mudryk also addressed the issue directly, saying:
“This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules. I am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.”
He expressed hope for a swift return to action while respecting the confidentiality of the ongoing process:
“I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.”
Mudryk joined Chelsea in January 2023 for £88.5 million from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk. His suspension marks a significant setback for the young player as investigations continue.
