🇺🇦 Mykhaylo Mudryk

[Vesper 30,185]

Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk drugs ban explained: What is meldonium and what punishments could he face?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6000684/2024/12/17/mykhailo-mudryk-Chelsea-drug-ban-meldonium-punishment/

Mykhailo Mudryk is among Chelsea’s most expensive signings — a player who once represented the club’s ambitious direction of travel in the post-Roman Abramovich era.

But less than two years after his £62million ($78.9m) signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, the Ukraine international has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.

Both Chelsea and Mudryk have issued statements to categorically make clear that the player has never “knowingly used” any banned substances but any athlete found to have breached anti-doping regulations can face a lengthy suspension.

The Athletic looks at the key questions as Mudryk faces up to an uncertain future.

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What has Mudryk done?

Routine testing showed what Chelsea have called “an adverse finding” in a urine sample provided by Mudryk. That has led to a provisional suspension from first-team action as all parties await the results of further testing.

“This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened,” Mudryk wrote on Instagram. “I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon.”

The Athletic has reported that Mudryk returned a positive test for the banned substance meldonium after being on international duty in November, a period that saw the winger feature in both of Ukraine’s UEFA Nations League games against Georgia and Albania.

Mudryk has not featured for Chelsea since playing the 90 minutes and scoring in a 2-0 win over Heidenheim in the Conference League on November 28.

When explaining his absence in press conferences since that game, Enzo Maresca, the club’s head coach, has either said simply that Mudryk is “out” without specifying a reason, or has said he was ill.

GO DEEPER

Mudryk, the Chelsea winger who arrived as a £62m victory - but is now facing failed test

What is meldonium and which sportspeople have been found to have taken it?

A prohibited substance, in short.

Meldonium is a heart disease drug developed in 1970 in the former U.S.S.R. It is designed to combat ischemia, a condition where blood flow is restricted to body tissue, muscles or organs.

It boosts metabolism and increases blood flow and, by extension, the exercise capacity of athletes. It was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)’s list of banned substances in January 2016 after its previous inclusion in the agency’s monitoring programme the year before.

Former Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova had been the most high-profile case of an athlete being banned for using meldonium. A failed drugs test at the 2016 Australian Open led to a two-year ban issued by the International Tennis Federation, with Sharapova accepting she had made “a huge mistake” in taking the substance.

 

Maria Sharapova tested positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

Sharapova told a news conference in Los Angeles she had been given a medicine for 10 years by her family doctor and had been unaware that it had also been known as meldonium, which had been added to WADA’s prohibited list in the weeks before her failed test.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) reduced Sharapova’s ban to 15 months in October 2016 after finding that she did not deliberately cheat and that there was no “significant fault or negligence on her part”.

The use of meldonium was not uncommon by Eastern European athletes before its ban, but it was the subject of a doping scandal in 2016 when the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia replaced its under-18s squad with an under-17s team at the World Under-18s Championships due to several players returning positive test results.

Who is responsible for drugs testing in the Premier League?

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), the national organisation established to help keep all sports clean, works in conjunction with the English Football Association to test Premier League players.

The disciplinary powers belong to the FA, which will decide the length of suspension that is given out to a player who fails a test.

It was the FA that notified Chelsea and Mudryk of his adverse finding in an ‘A’ sample and will await the findings of the ‘B’ sample before deciding the next steps.

The FA issues clear directives to all players each season and reminds them of the “strict liability” over any banned substances found. The sole responsibility, it says in the FA’s anti-doping guidance, belongs to the player “regardless of how (the substance) got there and whether there was an intention to cheat or not”.

How often are players tested?

There is no set amount or limit to the number of times a player is tested, but UKAD will typically visit each club on three or four occasions throughout a season.

UKAD’s most recent published figures show that between July 1 and September 30 this year it conducted 643 drugs tests on behalf of the FA, over a quarter of the 2,206 tests conducted across sports during that period.

The testing team will arrive without notice and select a small number of players at random.

There are set rules to the procedure, with the selected players remaining in full view of the doping control officer (DCO) and asked to remove enough clothing for observation of a urine sample being taken. A refusal to participate can bring a lengthy suspension of up to four years.

Testing will most commonly take place at training grounds or in a post-match setting. The process will take as long as is necessary, with some dehydrated players known to take more than an hour to produce a sample.

DCOs are also able to visit athletes at their homes but footballers are mostly tested in their professional environment.

How unusual is it for footballers in England to fail drugs tests?

Adverse findings are few and far between and, most commonly, have been due to traces of recreational drugs being discovered.

Former Chelsea forward Adrian Mutu, goalkeeper Mark Bosnich and one-time England midfielder Jake Livermore were all given suspensions by the FA for testing positive for traces of cocaine, as was the Cardiff winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing more recently, in 2020.

Further afield, the use of performance-enhancing drugs is rare but not without precedent.

In February, French World Cup winner Paul Pogba was banned for four years when found to have taken a doping agent while at Juventus, a suspension that was later reduced to 18 months when an appeal to CAS found the consumption of the drug had not been intentional. He is still without a club.

 

Paul Pogba’s career was derailed by a failed drugs test (Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

In February 2021, Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, then playing for Ajax, was banned for a year by UEFA after testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic. That was reduced to nine months by CAS after the court accepted Onana’s explanation that he had confused the medication — which he said belonged to his wife — with aspirin.

Last month saw Oscar Zambrano, the Hull City midfielder, also given a lengthy ban.

Zambrano had returned a positive test last season when playing for his Ecuadorian parent club LDU Quito but had remained eligible to feature until CONMEBOL issued a ban for breaching anti-doping rules on November 4. Hull, who had only signed the player on loan, said Zambrano intended to appeal through CAS but the case is not yet listed.

What are the rules around confidentiality for players who fail tests?

The FA outlines the process in their anti-doping regulations. The player and his or her club are the first to be notified if an initial sample returns adverse findings, prompting a provisional suspension under Regulation 54.

An investigation, including further testing of a ‘B’ sample, follows and the theory is that the process is kept confidential until the point of a charge letter being sent out. The FA, as such, has declined to comment on Mudryk’s situation so far.

The coordinated statements issued by both Chelsea and Mudryk on Tuesday morning came after several media outlets in Ukraine broke the news of the player’s suspension.

What kind of punishments can be applied now?

Nothing as yet. The initial tests are not grounds for guilt and, in cases, have been known to be erroneous.

The provisional suspension issued by the FA ensures Mudryk cannot feature for Chelsea until that further analysis has taken place and it will be an anxious wait to discover if the ‘B’ sample shows evidence of the same banned substance.

If that sample comes back positive, the consequences of that could be severe for Mudryk. Doping bans typically cover between two and four years, though as mentioned above, appeals can reduce the length of those bans.

“If we look at what happened with Paul Pogba, his violation and the consequences that followed, that was a lengthy ban,” says Jibreel Tramboo, a sports lawyer at Church Court Chambers. “I understand the circumstances are different but the point still follows.

“Anti-doping regulations are a strict liability offence. Athletes are fully responsible for substances found in their bodies. It’s irrelevant if it’s accidental or intentional. If it’s there, it’s a breach. You could argue a reduced sanction if he can demonstrate no significant fault or negligence in what he’s taken but there is arguably no defence.”

What are Chelsea’s options now?

Chelsea have indicated their support for Mudryk, who “confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances”. The early emphasis has been placed upon establishing the facts of the case, but there will be a decision to be made should Mudryk face a long-term ban.

Chelsea, albeit under previous ownership, sacked both Mutu in 2004 and Bosnich in 2003 when they were banned by the FA for taking cocaine. Bosnich, then an ageing goalkeeper, saw his protests of innocence overlooked by Chelsea, while Mutu, signed for £15million, also had his contract ripped up.

 

Adrian Mutu was sacked by Chelsea after his positive drugs test (Phil Cole/Getty Images)

There is little doubt that an intentional doping offence can form the grounds for dismissal if Mudryk is sanctioned, but Chelsea’s willingness to pursue that avenue would not be a given. Mudryk, after all, is a player signed as a huge future investment and has a contract running until at least 2030. Parting company with an obvious financial asset — no matter Mudryk’s struggles in English football — would be difficult without an avenue for compensation.

Chelsea, though, again have history on that front. Mutu’s sacking left them out of pocket and the club successfully took legal action against the player, winning £14million in damages for breach of contract. Mutu lost a series of appeals, including one through the Swiss Federal Court.

“Chelsea have their precedents, sacking Adrian Mutu for the use of cocaine, but based on what we’re seeing so far, with Mudryk not knowingly using a banned substance, it’s a very different case,” says Tramboo. “Mutu was taking cocaine, which was in complete breach of his contract.”

Depending on what happens next, Tramboo says “there might be enough to lead to a sacking through breach of (Mudryk’s) contract” but he is “not convinced that’s the road Chelsea would choose to go down. I think ultimately they will support him and the best argument they will have legally is what they can do to mitigate the situation, to reduce the sanction.”

[Special Juan 28,141]

He will play better on a ban the useless cunt

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

What I don’t get is how these professional athletes who have access to incredible standards of medical/nutritional professionals at both club and international level, as well as probably their own teams that they have vetted, are getting caught out with these sort of things. Particularly when this isn’t a new banned substance, it is one that has been banned since 2015/2016.

Surely they should be taking some sort of interest in what sort of medicines/nutrition they are consuming? Such as why are taking them, whether or not these may contain things that will run the risk of being deemed as doping, no? May be an innocent mistake by him, maybe he doesn’t know better but I don’t think its that simple, its got into his system somehow which means something isn’t right. Someone in his own team or someone at the club or national team has got to know how it got there. And the doping rules have been pretty clean on this substance since 2015, so it is reckless. 

I think he will get banned, fuck knows for how long and known us we will go to CAS, get it reduced but ultimately wouldn’t be surprised if it still ends up within that 12-18 month ban period - similarly to what Pogba got.

I would say the club will support him but if he gets a 3 or 4 year ban whats the point? Not as if he’s put up any trees and the price tag and length of contract is the only thing that has kept him from being punted out the door as it is. I mean people wonder why folk stereotype footballers as thick cunts but its cases like this and Pogba’s which make you see why. I mean Pogba was on fucking synthetic testosterone. 

[Reddish-Blue 2,506]

2 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

I think he will get banned, fuck knows for how long and known us we will go to CAS, get it reduced but ultimately wouldn’t be surprised if it still ends up within that 12-18 month ban period - similarly to what Pogba got.

It wouldn't be surprising, considering Pogba's original ban was 4 years, which then got reduced to 18 months by CAS.  

Think Sharapova (Tennis Player) had a drug related issue a few years back and it was a 2 year ban, which later got brought down to 15 months. 

The interesting part would be, if it is a long term ban (3+ years), would the club go down the path like Mutu and try to rip up Mudryk's contract? 

[Vytis33 1,272]

 

[KEVINAA 129]

 

[NikkiCFC 8,324]

Never seen so much Ballon d'or talk about one player not even Messi and Ronaldo. And it's so out of context. Like goal is not to play good or win trophies but to win ballon d'or. It all started from Shakhtar sporting director. 

[robsblubot 3,595]

3 hours ago, KEVINAA said:

 

[Vesper 30,185]

Chelsea ‘support and trust’ Mykhailo Mudryk after positive doping test – Enzo Maresca

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6003439/2024/12/18/mudryk-Chelsea-enzo-maresca/

Enzo Maresca says he believes Mykhailo Murdyk’s protestations of innocence over his positive doping test and does not think the situation will be the end of the Ukrainian’s Chelsea career.

Mudryk tested positive for the banned substance meldonium after playing for Ukraine last month and is facing a lengthy ban if the Football Association go on to charge him with an anti-doping rule violation.

The 23-year-old released a statement on Tuesday saying he was in “complete shock” and insisted he had never “knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules”.

Maresca, who reached out to Mudryk a few days ago on learning about the situation, is standing by his player’s version of events. He said: “We support and we trust Misha. Trust means that we believe Misha, we trust Misha and we support him.”

A player found guilty of doping can be banned for up to four years. Maresca is convinced Mudryk, who is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2030, can recover from this setback regardless.

Pressed on whether this could be the end of his career, Chelsea’s head coach added: “I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I think he’s going to come back. Now the only thing is that we don’t know when. It’s the only doubt we have in this moment but for sure he’s going to come back.”

GO DEEPER

Explaining Mudryk's drugs ban: What is meldonium - and possible punishments

Defender Tosin Adarabioyo revealed what happened to Mudryk has stunned the squad but says it will not disrupt their season. Chelsea have won their last seven matches and sit second in the Premier League.

He said: “It was news to all of us, we all found out at the same time as you guys. We still support Misha and hopefully, things will get sorted. There is not much we can do in this situation. It is out of our hands, but Misha is part of our family and we are here to support him.

“It is a very unfortunate situation but we are all professionals, we know that once we get on that pitch we have business to do and that is our main focus.”

Maresca has not ruled out the possibility of Chelsea finding a replacement for Mudryk in January should the worst-case scenario play out.

Tyrique George, 18, has made seven appearances for the senior side and his best position is on the left wing where Mudryk is often selected.

Maresca said: “We now have four games before January. We have Everton, Fulham and Ipswich (in the Premier League). So then after these three games we are going to sit and we are going to decide if we need to do something.

“For sure, Tyrique is going to get minutes and we are going to try to help him to improve day by day because now he’s working with us every day.”

GO DEEPER

Mudryk, the Chelsea winger who arrived as a £62m victory - but is now facing failed test

[Fulham Broadway 17,316]

Mudryk telling porkies imo-  he knows hes taken the drug of choice of Sharapova, Russian soldiers -how could you not know you've taken Meldonium ?

Unless it was a laced drink by Russian agents.

[DH1988 1,348]

1 hour ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Mudryk telling porkies imo-  he knows hes taken the drug of choice of Sharapova, Russian soldiers -how could you not know you've taken Meldonium ?

Unless it was a laced drink by Russian agents.

Apparently it's available over the counter and included in aspirin.

[Fulham Broadway 17,316]

The 23-year-old Ukranian winger said he has not knowingly taken any performance-enhancing drugs. It has been widely reported in the media that the drug Mudryk tested positive for is meldonium. The Guardian noted, though, that this has not been verified, having failed to receive comment from Mudryk's agent.

Meldonium first became known to sports fans in 2016 when the former world number one tennis player Maria Sharapova tested positive for it. The drug became a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) prohibited substance on January 1, 2016, and within a couple of months, hundreds of sports people had tested positive for it.

 

When Wada introduced the ban, they did not realize the drug stayed in the body for weeks—perhaps months after use. Most drugs are cleared from the body within days. This meant many athletes tested positive in January, February and March, despite not using it after the ban.

The data from Wada shows 70 positive tests in 2022, so athletes are still using it even after the high-profile coverage.

Meldonium is not licensed for use in the UK, US or Europe but is in Russia and Latvia, where it was developed.

It is used clinically to help with heart problems, such as angina and chronic heart failure. Wada classes meldonium as a "metabolic modulator"—a type of drug that can speed up or slow down certain enzymes in the body, regulating things like energy production.

The drug reduces the use of fatty acids for energy production. It pushes the body to instead use glucose, which is a more efficient energy source when there is reduced oxygen either through heart disease or under intense exercise.

A review of published research showed that meldonium has a performance-enhancing effect in animals and human volunteers.

The shift to burning glucose is one effect. They also report that meldonium can reduce the production of lactic acid during exercise, which reduces fatigue and also improves recovery rates after exercise.

According to the drug's inventor, Ivars Kalvins, the drug was used by Soviet soldiers when fighting in Afghanistan in the 1980s to improve their stamina.

There is evidence that brain activity is improved by increased oxidation, meaning decision-making and movement control will be preserved longer. Athletes can produce better performance for longer in these situations.

When a footballer tests positive there is often the comment that football is a skill sport so doping doesn't help. Yes, football is a skill sport but it is also an endurance sport played over 90-plus minutes. The ability to produce high levels of skill when fatigued at the end of the game is clearly advantageous.

When a urine sample is collected from drug-testing athletes, it is split into two portions and stored as A and B samples. If the A sample tests positive, they then test the B to check if they both contain the same drug. It has been reported but not verified that Mudryk's B sample has not been tested yet.

There is a very low chance that these findings will be different. Issues only usually emerge if samples haven't been stored properly.

Detecting meldonium in urine samples is not too difficult for a state-of-the-art Wada laboratory, equipped with technology such as liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry that can detect below one-tenth of the amount required to confirm doping.

 

Could it be from contaminated food?

Athletes who fail a drug test often defend themselves by saying the substance may have come from contamination from a supplement or food. In Mudryk's case, it will be interesting to see details of when he was tested prior to this positive test.

Meldonium use needs several weeks to show health or fitness improvements. A negative test shortly before the positive helps the defense that it was not deliberate doping. If, as suggested in the Guardian, it was in August, then that wouldn't help him with that defense.

One Russian study found meldonium in meat and cows milk. This opens the door to the possibility of consuming contaminated foods from some countries.

A German study gave volunteers meldonium-spiked milk and could detect it in their urine afterwards. Despite repeated ingestion of the milk, the maximum urinary meldonium concentration was well below the reporting threshold used to trigger a positive test in the laboratory.

According to Wada, meldonium should not be reported at levels below 100 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) and with contamination they found less than 20ng/ml. This means it is unlikely an athlete would test positive from contaminated food.

There are no studies I can find that show contamination of supplements with meldonium, so this is also an unlikely defense.

According to UK Anti-Doping, athletes are ultimately responsible for any banned substance found in their system "regardless of how it got there or whether there was any intention to cheat." A good defense will help reduce a likely ban, which could be up to four years for this offense.

Provided by The Conversation 

[NikkiCFC 8,324]

 

[Vesper 30,185]

https://thedailybriefing.io/i/153317391/Chelsea

• Maresca was quick to support Mykhailo Mudryk, who has been suspended from football after producing a positive drugs test for a banned substance. “We all believe Mudryk is innocent. For sure he will come back. I don't think Misha’s Chelsea career is over. I think he will come back. We don't know when, that is the only doubt we have in this moment. But for sure, he will be back… We have a statement from the club, who have already said what we need to say so there is not anything to add. All the players inside the training ground support and trust Misha.”

• Si Phillips has reminded everyone that Mykhailo Mudryk is innocent until proven guilty, and that conclusions shouldn’t be jumped to.

Edited December 20, 2024 by Vesper

[Vesper 30,185]

Mykhailo Mudryk doping test ‘a dagger to the heart of Ukrainian football’

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6003980/2024/12/19/mudryk-Chelsea-doping-ukraine/

It was only six months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when, on a balmy September evening in eastern Germany, I came across Mykhailo Mudryk shortly after midnight.

This was September 2022 and Mudryk was by then an emerging talent for the Ukrainian champions, Shakhtar Donetsk. He scored and was the team’s major attacking threat in a shock 4-1 victory for Shakhtar in the opening match of their Champions League campaign against German team RB Leipzig.

For Mudryk and his team-mates, the Champions League offered respite from the horrors of home. When Russian bombs landed in Ukraine in February 2022, many of Shakhtar’s foreign players took emergency refuge in a windowless room of a Kyiv hotel, before interventions from multiple national embassies, football federations and UEFA, the European football governing body, hatched an escape plan.

Shakhtar had, at that time, more than a dozen Brazilian players on their books, but many left for safer climes when the Ukrainian season ceased and did not return. Football did resume in Ukraine for the 2022-23 season and Shakhtar, who were first uprooted from their home in Donetsk in 2014 following Russian-backed incursions, were playing home matches in the relatively safer city of Lviv, in Ukraine’s west — though games were still frequently paused by air raid sirens.

Shakhtar’s squad was a shell of its former self, including only one player bought for more than £2million ($2.51m at current rates). This squad was largely comprised of young and inexperienced men. When they played against Real Madrid the following month, their starting team included 10 Ukrainian players, eight who had been produced by the club’s youth system and seven were aged 23 or below.

Mudryk, only 21, all of a sudden became the poster boy of a team whose indomitable spirit and improbable resistance appeared to encapsulate the Ukrainian struggle.

On that evening in Germany, The Athletic was embedded with the Ukrainian side to produce a documentary about their attempts to play on in the midst of war. I briefly spoke to Mudryk and his midfield team-mate and best friend Georgiy Sudakov as they headed out of their hotel in Leipzig in the early hours of the morning. Their heads were spinning after an unlikely victory, the adrenalin coursing through their veins. But, they explained, they also wanted to walk freely in the night, in a place where there were no shelters, no screams, no air raid sirens to force them rapidly underground, to remind themselves of normal life. For half an hour, they did that, before returning to their rooms.

At that point, Mudryk’s star was only just beginning to shine. He was raw, in the extreme, and had it not been for the untimely exodus of Brazilian players, it is unlikely he would have become risen to prominence so rapidly.

This was a player who only debuted for his national team in June 2022 yet by January 2023, following a handful of impressive performances in the Champions League, including against Real Madrid, Mudryk became the most expensive Ukrainian footballer in history. He signed for Premier League side Chelsea, who committed an initial £62m, plus £26.5m in potential additional payments dependent on his and Chelsea’s success.

This week’s news that Mudryk has tested positive for the banned substance meldonium is a dagger to the heart of Ukrainian football and leaves the player in a fight to salvage his career. The extent of the damage will hinge on the result of Mudryk’s ‘B’ sample, which is yet to be revealed, as the adverse finding relates to his ‘A’ sample, but he has been provisionally suspended by the English Football Association.

 

Ukraine’s Euro 2024 campaign turned into an emotional symbol of national pride (Andrzej Iwanczuk / NurPhoto via Getty Images) 

Chelsea’s commitment to acquiring the player was significant, tying him to a seven-and-a-half-year contract, with the option of another year. Even in the middle of the invasion, Shakhtar managed to attract a bidding war, such was the interest. He had previously been pursued by Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen, as well as Newcastle United, Brentford and Everton in the Premier League, but it came down to a fight between Arsenal and Chelsea.

At the time, Shakhtar’s director of football Dario Srna told The Athletic: “If somebody wants to buy Mudryk, they must pay huge, huge, huge money. Otherwise the president of the club (Rinat Akhmetov) will not sell him. All the clubs must respect the president, respect Shakhtar and in the end they must respect Mykhaylo Mudryk, who is one of the best players I saw. The price is so big.”

Srna said he rated Mudryk as being only behind Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in his wide forward position and insisted big money would be required, considering Manchester United signed Antony from Ajax in a £86m deal and Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund £73m, while Manchester City bought Jack Grealish for £100m.

Shakhtar, conscious of the power of sport in steering the narrative around the war, also announced upon completion of the transfer that their own owner, Rinat Akhmetov, would donate $25m to the war effort, to support in particular the defence of Mariupol and the families of those who have lost loved ones. The agreement with Chelsea also included a clause that said Shakhtar would play a future friendly against Chelsea in Donetsk, when and if that area of Ukraine is no longer occupied by Russian forces.

“It is written into the contract,” Sergei Palkin, the Shakhtar chief executive, told The Athletic in January 2023. “But actually, we did not even need to read it in the contract because Behdad Eghbali (the Chelsea co-owner) spoke with our president. Behdad supports Ukraine a lot because he is American and it is an English club, so this is a positive triangle. When you say England and Ukraine, it is important for our war support.

“It was Behdad who proposed (the friendly), because he said he wanted to help Ukraine, to help Ukrainian refugees and to support Ukrainian people. This match (in Donetsk) would be like a miracle (having not played in their home city since 2014). We would have this match every weekend if we could.”

When Mudryk was unveiled at Stamford Bridge, he did so wrapped in a flag of Ukraine. The player was born and raised in the city of Krasnohrad, close to Kharkiv, one of the most brutally hit areas of the country. “Since the the beginning of the full-scale war, my city has been bombarded with missiles day and night,” Mudryk said, speaking in a powerful video of 13 Ukrainian players talking about the impact of the war on their hometowns, released by the Ukrainian Football Association before the European Championship in the summer of 2024.

 

Mudryk (left) competes with Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard last month (Ryan Pierse / Getty Images)

He is a more reserved figure than his Ukrainian compatriot Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has been at the forefront of media initiatives to promote solidarity with Ukraine. He appears to be a devoutly religious figure, a follower of the orthodox Christian faith, who carries religious icons with him to games. On his chest, he has a tattoo that reads: “Dear god — if today I lose my hope, please remind me that your plans are better than my dreams”.

For his national team, the speaking has more often been done on the field, most notably when he scored the winner in a victory over Iceland to take his country to Euro 2024. Ukraine exited that tournament at the group stage and Mudryk did not score, although his nation went out only on goal difference with all four teams in Group E tied on four points after three games.

For club and country, he is yet to fulfil his potential. He has scored only five goals and recorded four assists in 53 Premier League appearances for Chelsea. This week’s sample revelation cast doubt on his ability to play at all, meldonium being a drug that previously saw the tennis star Maria Sharapova barred from competing.

GO DEEPER

Explaining Mudryk's drugs ban: What is meldonium - and possible punishments

The adverse test was reported during a routine urine test, according to a Chelsea statement. The club added that Mudryk “has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances”.

Writing on Instagram, Mudryk said the result “has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules”.

He added: “I am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.

“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.”

The English Football Association’s (FA) anti-doping regulations state that any breaches will be dealt with as strict liability violations. For example, a player will be found guilty of a violation if a prohibited substance is found in that player’s body. It is not necessary to demonstrate intent. A player’s alleged lack of intent or knowledge is not a valid defence to a charge.

A violation of the FA’s anti-doping regulations carries a maximum penalty of a four-year suspension, although mitigating factors can reduce that from anywhere from two years to just a month. The B sample will be key.

 

Shakhtar’s Georgiy Sudakov voiced support for his friend Mudryk (Christof Koepsel / Getty Images)

As Mudryk’s career hangs in the balance, the Ukrainian football establishment appears to be rallying behind him. Multiple sources in Ukraine, who remain anonymous because they did not have permission to speak, have indicated to The Athletic that the player suspects he may have been sabotaged while he was away with his country’s national team this season — a claim we have seen no evidence to support — but which is being taken seriously in his own country.

On Instagram, the Shakhtar midfielder Sudakov posted a message of support, urging his friend to “stay strong”.

The Shakhtar CEO Palkin, meanwhile, wrote that Mudryk is a “high-profile professional athlete”, adding that he has complete trust that the player “did not use any banned substance”.

Palkin said: “I am confident that he will prove his innocence.” Time will tell whether their faith is warranted.

[NikkiCFC 8,324]

So weird there is no result of B sample for months...

[YorkshireBlue 3,277]

19 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

So weird there is no result of B sample for months...

I think it’s more strange he was on performance enchantment drugs and was still absolute turd, hope he at least got a refund 

[robsblubot 3,595]

2 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

So weird there is no result of B sample for months...

The B sample rarely differs from the A sample," said an insider about Mudryk's doping. 

That's my understanding as well (from past cases).

[King Kante 1,643]

3 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

So weird there is no result of B sample for months...

Well he was complaining by all accounts that he had been set up. I suspect this is being looked into before any confirmation. Either way, an A and B sample almost never read differently. 

[King Kante 1,643]

Really weird it is now mid-March and he still hasn't been charged and there is a complete lack of news on him. Something surely has to be going on. 

Edited March 14 by King Kante