FA lifts Mudryk's doping ban early, allowing Chelsea return for 2026/27 season
The Football Association has cleared Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk to resume playing this season, ending his four-year doping suspension after just 18 months.
Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk will be eligible to play again after the Football Association approved an early termination of his doping suspension. The ban, originally set for four years, started provisionally in December 2024 and took full effect in May 2025, with Mudryk’s last match for the club occurring in November 2024. Although Mudryk acknowledged the violation, the FA considered recent rule revisions that would have exempted his meldonium sample if taken today, along with other unspecified circumstances, and agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency that the period already served was adequate.
The decision does not overturn the violation but reduces the remaining penalty. Mudryk has made 73 appearances and scored 10 goals for Chelsea and remains under a five-year contract signed in 2023.
Why it matters
Mudryk's reinstatement affects Chelsea's squad planning and highlights how rule changes can alter doping penalties.
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