Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk charged by FA over anti-doping rule violation

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the Football Association with violating anti-doping rules.

The 24-year-old has not played since being handed a provisional suspension in December after he returned a positive test, reportedly for the banned substance meldonium.

An FA statement 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 three and four of the FA’s anti-doping regulations.

“As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time.”

Mudryk could face a ban of up to four years under the FA’s anti-doping regulations.

Under Regulation 77, a four-year ban would result if the violation related to a non-specified substance, unless the player or his camp could establish that the violation was not intentional.

Where the violation relates to a specified substance and the FA can establish the violation was intentional, a four-year ban would also apply.

Specified substances are those considered more likely to have been consumed by an athlete for a purpose other than the enhancement of sports performance.

A shorter ban could apply depending on other circumstances, such as whether it could be proved there was no intention to violate the regulations and whether the violation occurred in or out of competition.

Chelsea have been approached for comment.

Earlier this month Mudryk’s number 10 shirt was given to Cole Palmer for next season, leaving the Ukraine international without a squad number at Stamford Bridge.

In a statement issued at the time of his suspension, Mudryk said the positive sample had come as “a complete shock” and he had “not done anything wrong,”