By MICHAEL PAVITT
Published: 13:56 EST, 20 December 2024 | Updated: 13:56 EST, 20 December 2024
Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk has been spotted in Saudi Arabia just days after his provisional suspension for a positive drugs test was announced.
It was confirmed on Tuesday morning that Mudryk, 23, tested positive for the banned substance Meldonium last month, and he has been provisionally suspended by the FA.
Mudryk reacted to the news on social media by insisting that he has not done anything wrong.
The Ukrainian is unavailable to play for Chelsea this weekend in their Premier League match against Everton on Sunday.
He now looks set to cheer on his countryman Oleksandr Usyk in his heavyweight title fight against Tyson Fury in Riyadh on Saturday night.
A Chelsea fan shared a photo of Mudryk on social media, reportedly after the Chelsea star had arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of Usyk's showdown with Fury.
Mykhailo Mudryk has reportedly arrived in Saudi Arabia to watch Oleksandr Usyk's fight
A Chelsea supporter shared a photo on social media after meeting Mudryk in Riyadh
The fan claimed Mudryk told him 'I hope everything is gonna be fine', when he expressed his support of the winger following his suspension.
Mudryk had reacted to his failed drugs test on Instagram earlier this week.
He wrote: ‘I can confirm I have been notified that a sample I provided to the FA contained a banned substance. 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 I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.’
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca had insisted he trusts Mudryk following the news.
‘We support and we trust Misha,’ Maresca said on Wednesday.
‘Trust means that we believe Misha. We support Misha and then we see. We are all sad. Me, the club, the players, we are all there.
‘We all believe that, then we see. I think he is going to come back. The only thing is that we don't know when.
The Chelsea forward had insisted he has 'not done anything wrong' after his failed drugs test
Mudryk's countryman Usyk, left, will defend his heavyweight titles against Tyson Fury
Mudryk has not featured for Chelsea since a Conference League match on November 28
‘I'm there to try to help Misha in anything he needs. It's normal that he's going to need help from the club, from me, from his team-mates. We are all there to try to support him. They (Mudryk’s team-mates) were all surprised because Misha at the beginning was ill, he wasn't good, then this happened. They were all surprised and at the same time sad.
‘No matter if he is 20 or 30, no matter if he is English or Italian or Ukrainian, no matter nothing. When these things happen, I need support, you need support, they need support, we all need support because something happened. It’s not about Misha, it's not about the age, it's not about the country. It's about that.’
The 23-year-old - who joined in a £88m deal last in January 2023 - has missed the club's last six matches and has not featured since a Europa Conference League match on November 28.
It is understood that Mudryk has been unavailable for selection due to a suspected adverse analytical finding.
Mudryk's 'B' sample is still yet to be tested, but he is facing the possibility of a four-year ban.
Meldonium has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list since January 1, 2016.
Mudryk is being represented by Morgan Sports Law. They have reiterated their client has not been charged with any doping offence since Mail Sport began speaking with the legal firm on Friday after we received a tip from an anonymous source.
Attempts at preventing the news from being made public ultimately failed when it was broken by Ukrainian media.
Chelsea also released their own statement earlier this week that read: '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.'