Mykhailo Mudryk Appeals Four-Year Ban to CAS

Chelsea forward Mykhailo Mudryk has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following reports of a four-year ban resulting from an anti-doping rule violation. The Football Association (FA) charged Mudryk in June last year, and he has been provisionally suspended since December 2024.

In a statement from CAS, it was confirmed that Mudryk had lodged an appeal against the FA. Currently, both parties are exchanging written submissions, and a hearing has not yet been scheduled. While the CAS statement did not disclose the specific sanction Mudryk is appealing against, there are widespread reports indicating that he faces a four-year ban.

If the violation is linked to a non-specified substance under Regulation 77 of the FA's anti-doping policy, the player can be banned for four years unless it can be proven that the violation was unintentional. A similar four-year ban may apply if it involves a specified substance and the FA proves the violation was intentional.

The FA and Chelsea declined to comment on the situation when approached by the Press Association. When initially suspended, Mudryk stated that the positive doping test was a "complete shock" to him, insisting he had "not done anything wrong." Chelsea also stated that Mudryk had "never knowingly used any banned substances."

The positive test result was reported shortly after Mudryk had participated in international duty with Ukraine in November 2024. His last match for Chelsea was a 2-0 victory against Heidenheim in the Conference League on November 28, 2024, after which he did not play in the 3-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa three days later.

Mudryk transferred to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for a fee of £88 million. Since then, he has scored 10 goals in 73 appearances across all competitions, often struggling to maintain a consistent place in the starting lineup.