Mykhailo Mudryk, a forward for English Premier League club Chelsea, is returning to the pitch after completing his doping suspension.

The British public broadcaster BBC, citing an announcement from the English Football Association (FA), reported that Mudryk has concluded his doping disciplinary proceedings and will be able to return for the upcoming season.

This comes after Mudryk agreed with the FA to let his previous provisional suspension serve as his full penalty, in exchange for acknowledging a violation of anti-doping regulations.

Mudryk tested positive for meldonium, a prohibited substance that enhances cardiopulmonary endurance, during a doping test conducted while on duty with the Ukraine national team in October 2024, keeping him sidelined from official matches since November of that year.

He was subsequently handed a maximum four-year ban by the FA, but he appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), leading to this lifting of the suspension following an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

A revision of WADA's regulations regarding meldonium played a decisive role in this outcome.

According to the FA, a very low concentration of meldonium was detected in Mudryk's sample, which under WADA's current revised standards would not even have been reported as a positive result in the first place.

In a statement, Mudryk said, "I am grateful to be able to play football again after going through the most difficult period of my career," emphasizing, "As I have maintained since the beginning of this incident, I have never intentionally taken any prohibited substances."

Chelsea, which holds a long-term contract with Mudryk until 2031, also welcomed the news, stating, "We fully respect the anti-doping system and have continued to support Mudryk," adding, "We will help him recover his fitness as soon as possible so he can rejoin the squad."

Having shed the shackles of his suspension, Mudryk is scheduled to immediately join the club's pre-season tour to prepare for the upcoming season.

Mudryk donned the Chelsea jersey in January 2023 and has made 73 official appearances, scoring 10 goals.

His transfer fee was reported at the time to reach a maximum of 89 million pounds, equivalent to approximately 174.2 billion won.

(Photo: Getty Images)