Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk takes appeal against drugs ban to Court of Arbitration for Sport in bid to return
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Published 29/04/2026 at 17:40 GMT+1
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Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has stepped up his battle to make a return to football, with developments on Wednesday confirming he has lodged an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
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Mudryk, who has not played a competitive match since November 2024 after being provisionally suspended by the Football Association, has always protested his innocence after testing positive for the prohibited substance meldonium.
Chelsea signed the 25-year-old in a deal worth a reported £88 million from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023.
He was on international duty with Ukraine ahead of games against Albania and Georgia in October 2024 when it is understood the player came into contact with the cardiovascular medication.
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A short statement released on Wednesday read: "CAS confirms it has received an appeal by Mykhailo Mudryk against the FA, filed on 25 February 2026.
"The Parties are currently exchanging written submissions, and a hearing is yet to be scheduled."
Mudryk was formally charged by the FA with violating its anti-doping rules in June 2025 after the return of his 'B' sample.
Players who are found to have deliberately used a banned substance may face suspensions of up to four years under the regulations set by world football's governing body, FIFA.
Mudryk contested the ban at the time, on the grounds that he had "never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules" and was "working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened."
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Mykhaylo Mudryk attended the Conference League final last year
Image credit: Getty Images
The player is being represented by the same law firm - Morgan Sports Law - who handled former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba's doping case while playing for Juventus.
Having been out of action for 18 months, and banned from Chelsea's training ground, Mudryk was seen training individually at non-league side Uxbridge FC's Honeycroft ground earlier this year.
Sources close to the player told BBC Sport that he is hopeful of returning to competitive football from the start of next season.
While the case is currently in the hands of CAS in Switzerland, Mudryk's former club Shakhtar will be hoping for clarity soon - given the club stand to earn potential performance-related bonuses of up to €30 million (£25.9m).
While the player has denied any wrongdoing, he would face a four-year ban under FA guidelines if he is found guilty, but Shakhtar CEO Serhii Palkin spoke only this week of a need for a resolution to the case.
"We have €30m [of] bonuses in his contract," Palkin said. "And if he is not playing, if Chelsea [are] not reaching results, we are losing €30m.
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Mudryk during his last game for Chelsea in November 2024
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"That's a big financial impact for us. Therefore, everybody believes that this story will finish as soon as possible with positive results and Mudryk will return to playing. Otherwise, we will be in a position to lose €30m.
"I know Mudryk as a player and a person. I believe he will return and he will start playing.
"I know this because I've never met this kind of guy before in my life. He's a very hard worker. And he will prove he's in a position to play and bring results to the team.
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"But as I understand at this moment, everybody is waiting for the court's decision, and we don't have any information about when this will take place and when the final decision will be issued. Therefore, everybody is waiting for information."
In his only public statement following the start of his provisional suspension in December 2024, Mudryk said: "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.
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Mudryk has always denied any wrongdoing during the case
Image credit: Getty Images
"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."
Mudryk last featured for Chelsea in a routine 2-0 victory at German side Heidenheim in the UEFA Conference League in November 2024. He has scored 10 goals in 71 appearances across all competitions.
The winger no longer has a designated shirt number at Stamford Bridge, although his contract runs until 2030, with the option of an extra 12 months.
Chelsea have declined to comment while awaiting the outcome of the process, and The Football Association have said it could not comment on an ongoing case.
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