Footage of Chelsea player Mykhailo Mudryk generated interest this week as he was pictured training at non-league side Uxbridge FC. The winger is currently banned from football after being charged with a doping offence by the Football Association.
Indeed, the Ukrainian international has not played in the Blues since a Europa Conference League victory over Heidenheim in November 2024. Having signed from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023, he has scored 10 goals and provided 11 assists in 73 appearances up to that point.
Amid his suspension, eyebrows were raised when he was seen on a football pitch this week.
Mudryk Trains on Uxbridge FC Astroturf
As per talkSPORT, Mudryk was not training with Uxbridge but had simply hired their 3G surface along with his privately-funded coaching team. Uxbridge’s Honeycroft ground is around a 40-minute commute from where Mudryk lives and has been booked directly by his representatives.
The report notes that Chelsea have not organised the solo training sessions and could not under the terms of Mudryk's FA charge, which sees him banned from training for the club as well as playing.
Mudryk was provisionally suspended by the Football Association in December 2024 after a urine sample tested positive for the banned substance meldonium while on international duty with Ukraine. The player has denied any wrongdoing and hired Morgan Sports Law to defend him – they also represented Paul Pogba during his own doping ban.
If found guilty, the Chelsea player could be handed a suspension from training and playing of up to four years. It should be noted that any time served so far under the provisional ban is already counting towards his final ban length.
Speaking in a statement back in December 2024, Mudryk said: "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."
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Mudryk Also Banned From Gaming in February
mykhailo mudryk chelsea
Away from football, it was reported in February that Mudryk had also received a ban within the gaming world. Indeed, the player was given a four-week ban from the Counter-Strike 2 platform FACEIT following a string of offensive comments.
While playing a match on the platform, Mudryk was said to have made several offensive comments surrounding the Massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War 2. The killings were carried out in German-occupied Poland by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) between 1943 and 1945. The UPA's actions resulted in up to 100,000 Polish deaths. These killings were exceptionally brutal, and most of the victims were women and children.
FACEIT’s banning policy reveals that a four-week ban is issued to accounts that have previously committed an offence. This suggested that the February incident was not the first time the Chelsea star has been punished for his poor behaviour while playing Counter-Strike 2.
It was claimed that Mudryk made the comments as a response to opponents who had mocked him in relation to his failed drug test. Prior to that, in early January, the winger had posted a message to his fans, asking them not to 'give up' on him, as he was hoping to see them soon.
In full, he wrote: "Happy new year to all my fans. I just wanted to say thank you for your support. I see all your messages and truly appreciate them, so please don't give up on me, as I [have] not give up on myself. Can't wait to see you soon."