Ukrainian forward contests FA ruling after being handed maximum suspension over alleged anti-doping violation
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has officially appealed against a four-year doping ban imposed by the Football Association (FA), taking his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.
The appeal was filed in February 2026 after the FA ruled that Mudryk had committed an anti-doping rule violation following a positive test for the prohibited substance meldonium, first detected in 2024 during international duty with Ukraine.
CAS has confirmed receipt of the appeal and stated that both parties are currently exchanging written submissions, with no hearing date yet scheduled.
Mudryk, who joined Chelsea in 2023 in a high-profile transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk, has consistently denied any intentional wrongdoing, describing the initial test result as a “complete shock.”
He has not played competitive football since being provisionally suspended in December 2024, while the FA later moved to impose a full four-year ban following its disciplinary process.
Under FA regulations, the sanction represents the maximum penalty for a confirmed doping offence, but CAS may review, uphold, or reduce the ruling depending on evidence and legal arguments presented by both sides.
Chelsea and the FA have both declined to comment publicly, citing the ongoing nature of the legal proceedings.
The case now moves to CAS, where Mudryk will seek either a reduction or full overturn of the ban that has halted his football career since late 2024.