Mykhailo Mudryk has taken his fight against an FA anti-doping charge to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with CAS confirming it received his appeal on 25 February 2026.
The 25-year-old, who was provisionally suspended in December 2024 after an adverse finding in a routine urine test, has not played a competitive match since November 2024 and has been out of professional football for nearly 18 months. Mudryk’s last appearance for Chelsea was away at Heidenheim in the Conference League in November 2024.
The appeal filing names the FA and comes amid reports that Mudryk is contesting a four-year doping ban; the parties are currently exchanging written submissions and a hearing has yet to be scheduled. The FA charged Mudryk in June 2025, and the governing body has said: "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." An FA spokesperson added: "As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time."
Mudryk has repeatedly protested his innocence. He described the failed drug test as a "complete shock" and said he had "never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules," adding that he had "not done anything wrong." His representation is handling the appeal through Morgan Sports Law.
Those working for Mudryk say the player came into contact with the cardiovascular medication meldonium while on duty with the Ukraine national team in October 2024. He joined Chelsea for an initial €70m in January 2023 and, according to reports, transferred from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee worth up to £89million. Across 73 appearances for Chelsea, reporting has said, Mudryk scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists.
Chelsea has declined to comment formally and, according to club reports, has not allowed Mudryk to train with the first team since his provisional suspension; the club has said it will let the process take its full course. The FA has not disclosed whether Mudryk has been issued with a full ban or remains under provisional suspension while the case proceeds.
The procedural rhythm now moves to written exchanges at CAS, a stage that preserves legal arguments in full ahead of any hearing. That scheduling, and the decision on whether a hearing will be fixed soon, is the immediate practical milestone: parties are trading briefs but no date has been set for in-person or virtual oral argument.
Tension in the case comes from competing public signals. On one hand, the FA’s formal charge and reports of a four-year sanction would, if upheld, sideline Mudryk for a length of time that overlaps prime playing years; on the other, Mudryk’s insistence that the result was a "complete shock" and that he has "not done anything wrong" frames the appeal as an attempt to clear his name and return to the field. The FA’s refusal to clarify whether a full ban is in place leaves the substantive status of his eligibility unclear even as the legal process continues.
Unless CAS overturns the FA’s charge or reduces any period of ineligibility, the most likely outcome is that Mudryk will remain absent from competitive football for a prolonged period; if the reported four-year ban stands, it would effectively extend his time away well beyond nearly 18 months and imperil his place at the top level. That is the immediate stake as the case moves through written submissions toward a hearing that could reshape the next chapter of his career.
