Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin has confirmed that Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is still awaiting the results of an investigation into his alleged doping violation.
Mudryk, who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar in January 2023 for a significant fee, was hit with a global suspension following an alleged failed drug test while on international duty with Ukraine. The 24-year-old had been absent for a brief period in December, and it was later revealed that he had tested positive, sparking the suspension.
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Mudryk has vehemently denied intentionally taking any banned substance, and the results of his ‘B sample’ have yet to be revealed. The wait continues as both Mudryk and his legal team gather evidence to prove his innocence.
Palkin, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, shared insight into his conversations with Mudryk since the issue arose. “I have spoken to Mudryk many times since this doping issue began,” Palkin explained. “He doesn’t understand how it could have happened. He has no clue, no idea at all.”
To further demonstrate his innocence, Mudryk’s legal team arranged for him to take a lie detector test, which he reportedly passed. “This will be part of the evidence showing he didn’t intentionally do anything wrong,” Palkin added.
The Shakhtar CEO also emphasized that Mudryk is adamant that he is not at fault for the positive test. “We now need to understand how this happened and who is responsible,” Palkin continued. “His lawyers are working on that. We still don’t have the B-sample results, so the situation remains unresolved. Nobody knows what happened. I wish Mudryk all the best. He’s a top professional and a very good person. He deserves to be protected.”
Palkin also noted that Shakhtar Donetsk has a financial interest in Mudryk’s success, as bonuses tied to his move to Chelsea are linked to his performances. “If he’s not playing, it causes problems for us. We could potentially lose €30m (£25.8m),” he said. “So Shakhtar, Chelsea, and Mudryk, we are all in this together. We all support him and hope he can return to playing football soon.”
If Mudryk’s B-sample results come back positive, he could still face punishment from FIFA, even if he proves that the breach was unintentional. A similar case involved Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, who received a 12-month ban in February 2021 after accidentally ingesting a banned substance. His appeal later reduced the ban to nine months. More recently, Paul Pogba was handed a four-year ban after testing positive in 2023, which was later reduced to 18 months following an appeal.
