Chelsea player goes to extreme lengths to fight nightmare accusation, 6 months later | OneFootball

The lack of information around Mykhailo Mudryk since the winger failed a doping test in November has been truly astonishing.

It’s a reminder of how rarely this sort of thing happens at the very top of the game that nobody really knows the timelines or processes of what comes next.

Mudryk was playing for Ukraine on international duty when he tested positive for meldonium. He denies taking anything knowingly, but that may not help him – he faces a potential 4 year ban, unless he can prove his innocence.

The first stage was waiting for a B-sample to confirm the A-sample – we still have no word on that, almost 6 months later.

Palkin speaks on Mudryk mystery

Mykhailo Mudryk looks pensive with Chelsea logo. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

While Mudryk hasn’t said much apart from insisting on his innocence, we do have an update from an important source close to the matter. Sergei Palkin, chief executive of the Shakhtar Donetsk, the club from whom we bought Mudryk, has given a really interesting exclusive interview to GiveMeSport about the whole situation.

“I have spoken to Mudryk many times since this doping issue arose. He doesn’t understand how it could have happened. He has no clue. No idea at all… his lawyers organised for him to take a lie detector test, which he passed. It will form part of the evidence showing he didn’t intentionally do anything wrong.

“There are still no results from the B-sample, so that remains open. Nobody knows what’s happened.”

That’s really curious – what is the delay in testing the B-sample, or in releasing the results of it? Without that, he can’t be charged by the FA or other footballing bodies. Even if Mudryk is found guilty, it needs to happen now, it isn’t fair to keep him in limbo like this.