Chelsea's Mudryk Suspended for Meldonium; £88.5M Star Faces Four-Year Ban

Dec 17, 2024, 11:17 AM

Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium in a routine urine test conducted by the Football Association (FA). The 23-year-old Ukrainian, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in a high-profile £88.5million transfer in January 2023, has not played for the club since November 28. Mudryk has categorically denied any intentional use of banned substances, stating that the positive test came as a complete shock. Chelsea has expressed full support for the FA's testing program and is working with Mudryk and the relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the adverse finding. The player faces a potential suspension of up to four years if found guilty, pending the results of a B-sample test.