Mudryk Cleared to Return to Play

The Football Association (FA) has cleared Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk to return to play after serving a suspension for an anti-doping rule violation, the organization announced.

The parties concluded disciplinary proceedings with the consent of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). During the investigation, the player admitted to doping. The Ukrainian agreed to a period of disqualification equal to the time served up to the date of the agreement. He is now eligible to rejoin the London club's squad.

"The FA and Mr. Mudryk have now, with WADA's consent, resolved the appeal proceedings. As part of the agreement, Mr. Mudryk accepted that he committed anti-doping rule violations and agreed to a period of ineligibility equal to the time served up to the date of the agreement," the FA stated.

In December 2024, Chelsea confirmed that the footballer had failed a doping test. Subsequently, the FA suspended Mudryk from participating in football matches. In April 2026, it became clear that the sanction was for four years, and the case had been referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The FA had never before disclosed details of the case, as their anti-doping program is considered strictly confidential. However, in their statement on Friday, they confirmed that Mudryk tested positive for Meldonium, which can enhance respiratory capacity and endurance, during an out-of-competition test at a training camp with the Ukrainian national team in October 2024.

The FA stated that the test showed a "low concentration" of the prohibited cardiovascular drug. It added that changes have since been made to WADA's technical document regarding Meldonium. The FA clarified that the changes "are not retroactive," but noted that if Mudryk's test were conducted today, then "the concentration of Meldonium in the sample would not have been reported" and an adverse finding would not have been registered.