By Adegboyega Adeleye

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after he was given a four-year ban by the Football Association for doping.

The 25-year-old Ukrainian international has been sidelined from action for nearly 18 months after an “adverse finding in a routine urine test” led to a provisional suspension in December 2024. Mudryk’s last appearance for Chelsea was away at Heidenheim in the Conference League in November 2024.

Mudryk was initially charged in June 2025, and according to a spokesperson for CAS, the highest legal authority in sport, he was subsequently handed the maximum four‑year ban by the FA.

CAS has confirmed it received his appeal against the FA on February 25, but the FA, Chelsea and the player’s lawyers have not commented.

In such cases, bans are typically backdated to the start of the provisional suspension, meaning his current return date would be around December 2028.

However, an appeal has now been lodged with CAS in Switzerland, with sources close to the player hopeful he could return to action as early as next season.

In a statement to BBC Sport, CAS said: “Cas confirms it has received an appeal by Mykhailo Mudryk against the FA, filed on 25 February 2026. The Parties are currently exchanging written submissions, and a hearing is yet to be scheduled.”

According to the BBC, Mudryk came into contact with the cardiovascular medication meldonium, which can increase respiratory capacity and stamina, while on duty with the Ukraine national team in October 2024.

Chelsea declined to comment as they wait for the process to take its full course, and the FA said it is unable to comment on an ongoing case. Now 16 months since his initial suspension, Mudryk maintains he is innocent and has been keeping fit by working with his own personal trainers away from Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.

It is also understood that Chelsea will allow the process to take its full course.

Chelsea signed Mudryk for £88m from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023, and he still has five years left on his contract.