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Mykhailo Mudryk's Chelsea return plan confirmed as statement made and doping ban lifted

A major update on Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk with his suspension now being lifted and his return plan confirmed

[Mykhailo Mudryk]

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Mykhailo Mudryk is set to return to the Chelsea team

Mykhailo Mudryk can return to competitive action for Chelsea with immediate effect with the FA confirming disciplinary proceedings against the winger have now been resolved.

The 25-year-old winger has not played a competitive match since the Blues' victory away in Heidenheim all the way back in November 2024. Mudryk was given an initial four-year suspension by the FA for an anti-doping violation, testing positive for meldonium, but appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

However, said ban has now been lifted, with the FA confirming such in a statement on Friday: "The FA can confirm that the anti-doping disciplinary proceedings against Mykhailo Mudryk were resolved with the agreement of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on 30 July 2026. In the context of that agreement, Mr Mudryk has accepted his commission of Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) and accepted a period of ineligibility.

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"On 22 October 2024, Mr Mudryk was subject to an out-of-competition doping control, which revealed the presence of a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance. The FA notified Mr Mudryk of that finding on 4 December 2024 and imposed a provisional suspension. On 23 May 2025, The FA charged Mr Mudryk with ADRVs in breach of Regulations 3 and 4 of its 2024 Anti-Doping Regulations."On 7 to 9 January 2026, a hearing took place before an independent Regulatory Commission. The Regulatory Commission found that Mr Mudryk had committed the charged ADRVs and imposed a four-year period of ineligibility. Subsequently, Mr Mudryk filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport."Since then, changes have been made to WADA Technical Document (TD2027MRL) which, while not retroactive, mean that if Mr Mudryk's sample was collected today, the concentration of meldonium in the sample would not have been reported and no ADRVs would have resulted."Further to that development and to other circumstances of the case, The FA and Mr Mudryk have now - with the agreement of WADA - resolved the appeal proceedings in accordance with Article 10.8.2 of the World Anti-Doping Code and Regulation 90 of the 2024 Anti-Doping Regulations. As a part of the agreement, Mr Mudryk accepted that he had committed the Anti-Doping Rule Violations charged and acceded to a period of ineligibility equal to the time served at the date of the agreement."Mr Mudryk is no longer ineligible and may return to competition with immediate effect."

Chelsea have released a statement in response, saying: "Chelsea FC acknowledges today's announcement by The Football Association confirming the resolution of the anti-doping proceedings involving Mykhailo Mudryk.

"From the outset, this has been an extremely difficult period for Misha, both professionally and personally, and we are pleased that the matter has now reached a conclusion which allows him to return to football with immediate effect.

"We have always supported Misha throughout this process while fully respecting the integrity of the anti-doping system and the legal process.

"We welcome the acknowledgement that advances in the applicable scientific reporting standards for more reliable testing mean that, had Misha's sample been analysed under today's technical requirements, it would not have been reported as a positive test and no anti-doping rule violation would have resulted. That is an important part of the context surrounding the agreed resolution and allows everyone involved to move forward.

"Misha has consistently maintained that he never knowingly or intentionally used a prohibited substance and did not know how traces of the substance entered his system. Throughout this process he has conducted himself professionally and with resilience during what has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging periods of his career.

"We know how much this opportunity to return means to him. Our focus now is on supporting Mishas reintegration into the squad and helping him resume his career.

"Chelsea FC remains fully committed to the highest standards of sporting integrity and compliance with all anti-doping regulations.

"Everyone at the club now looks forward to helping Misha return to full fitness, back into the squad and back onto the pitch."

Mudryk has released a statement on his Instagram: "After a long battle, the four-year ban that was imposed on me has been rescinded and I am free to resume my career with immediate effect.

"I am grateful that this process has reached a conclusion, that I have been cleared to return to football and that I can now look ahead to my future. This has been the most difficult period of my career."As I have always maintained from the outset of this case, I have never knowingly or intentionally taken any banned substance. My commitment to competing fairly and representing my club and country with professionalism and integrity has always been important to me.

"I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and belief throughout this period. I also want to express my deep gratitude to everyone at Chelsea FC, my teammates and the Chelsea supporters who have been with me throughout.

"I would also like to thank my legal team and others who assisted for their tireless work on my case. My focus now is on returning to football, working hard every day, and making a positive contribution on the pitch.

"Thank you to everyone who continued to believe in me. I look forward to the next chapter of my career."

Stamford Bridge insiders say they supported the Ukrainian winger, who signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for 88.5million in January 2023, throughout the entire process.

Sources close to the situation say an important factor in the resolution is the change made by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) to the scientific reporting standards used by accredited anti-doping laboratories when analysing samples for meldonium.

The laboratories use a qualitative testing method, meaning they work out concentration levels rather than measure them to the exact point. After developments in the scientific guidance, WADA increased the reporting threshold to provide more confidence that samples reported as positive are more than the minimum reporting level.

As per the FA statement, if Mudryk's sample had been analysed under the current WADA technical standard, the winger would not have been handed a suspension. No anti-doping rule violation would have been recorded, either.

While all of the above is true, sources close to Chelsea insist the club respects the anti-doping system and the work that WADA and the FA do in that regard. The source of the substance has not been identified at the time of writing, but Mudryk insisted throughout the entire process that he was not aware of taking an illegal substance.

Mudryk is set to fly to Hong Kong to join up with the Chelsea squad before their pre-season friendly against Juventus on August 5.

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