Mykhailo Mudryk ban latest as Chelsea star spotted in Wroclaw ahead of Conference League final

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·28 May 2025

Mykhailo Mudryk ban latest as Chelsea star spotted in Wroclaw ahead of Conference League final

The Ukrainian was a Conference League regular before being suspended in December

Mykhailo Mudryk is in Wroclaw ahead of the Conference League final, but will not be eligible to play in the match as he remains suspended after failing a doping test in December.

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Video has emerged on social media of the Ukrainian winger meeting supporters in a restaurant called ‘Whiskey in the Jar’, taking photos and signing autographs.

Despite arriving in Wroclaw in full Chelsea kit ahead of the rest of the squad, it is not clear whether Mudryk will stay in the team hotel or if the club funded his travel. Enzo Maresca said pre-match that he was not aware the Ukrainian had travelled.

Mudryk had been key to Chelsea’s Conference League campaign, charting three goals and three asists as he played every minute of the club’s first four league phase fixtures, but has not appeared for the club since scoring in a 4-1 win over Heidenheim in November. He will miss out as Chelsea look to lift a first title since 2021, facing Real Betis in the final.

Why is Mudryk banned?

Mudryk was provisionally suspended after failing a routine doping test in December.

He is now awaiting the results of a secondary ‘B sample’ test, but could face a lengthy suspension if he is again found to be guilty.

He has continually denied the reports, citing contamination, and went so far as to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence, which he reportedly passed.

What has Mudryk said?

After reports broke of Mudryk’s suspension, the player released a statement, which read: “I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance.

“This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened.

“I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.”

His social media channels have been quiet since.

What has Chelsea said?

Chelsea confirmed that they would cooperate with investigations into Mudryk’s suspension. A statement released in December read: “Both the Club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested.

“Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances. Both Mykhailo and the Club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding.”

What has Enzo Maresca said?

When first asked about Mudryk’s suspension, Maresca said he fully trusted the player, saying he believed he was innocent, and that “there is not anything to add apart from the club, the coaching staff and all the people inside the training ground, we trust and support Misha.”

“When these kind of things happen you need to support your player in all the aspects. We believe Misha, we trust Misha, we support Misha.”

He later added that he would give the player space to ‘disconnect’ as he awaited the results of a B sample: “In this moment, it’s also good he can disconnect a little bit from the situation. The last time I spoke with him, we tried to support him. Now we are just waiting.”

Speaking from Wroclaw ahead of the Conference League final, though, Maresca was unaware that Mudryk had travelled to Poland but happy he had come to support the team.