New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the Football Association (FA) with a doping offence and now faces a potential ban for as long as up to four years.

Mudryk was provisionally suspended in November 2024 after failing a doping test. The Football Association contacted Chelsea on ‘an adverse finding in a routine urine test’. The substance found in his ‘A’ sample was reported to be Meldonium, a performance-enhancing drug that was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list on January 1, 2016.

“We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with Anti-Doping Rule Violations alleging the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, in terms of Regulations 3 and 4 of The FA’s Anti-Doping Regulations. As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time,” a spokesperson of the FA told Telegraph Sport.

Mudryk joined Chelsea for a deal worth up to 89 Million Pounds, after beating London rivals Arsenal to his signature in January 2023. The Ukrainian had signed an eight-and-a-half-year contract deal, which will run until June 2031. Since joining the club, Mudryk has had an underwhelming impact on the club, having played 73 games whilst only racking up 10 goals and nine assists so far.

When placed under provisional suspension, Mudryk had denied any wrongdoing and was ‘shocked to hear the news’.

“This has come as a complete shock, as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and I am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened,” read the statement by Mudryk at the time.

“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,” he added.

–IANS

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