Mykhaylo Mudryk of Chelsea and Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United square up
Mykhaylo Mudryk of Chelsea and Bruno Guimaraes of Newcastle United square up
Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended after an 'adverse' finding in a recent routine drugs test. The Ukrainian winger this morning confirmed the fact the FA have informed him of the potential violation, calling the news a 'complete shock'.
Mudryk has failed to hit the heights in west London after a big-money move from Shakhtar Donetsk. So much so, the attacker has been linked with a January switch to Newcastle United in recent weeks.
European publication Fichajes this month reported both Newcastle and Italian side Fiorentina were keen to sign the left-sided forward, ending his misery at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, in turn, were said to be keen on offloading Mudryk on loan.
The FA have not yet commented on the matter but state on their website that anyone who provides a positive 'A' sample will be suspended pending their 'B' sample findings. The 23-year-old is now unable to feature for Chelsea while an investigation takes place. Should Mudryk be found guilty, he could face a lengthy ban from football.
"I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance," the youngster wrote on his Instagram on Tuesday morning. "This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.
"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."
Chelsea released a statement of their own soon after, writing: "Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.
"Both the club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances.
"Both Mykhailo and the club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding. The club will not be commenting any further."