'100% innocent!' - Mykhailo Mudryk's former club back Chelsea star despite ban amid doping scandal following big-money Blues move

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC v Chelsea FC - Premier League

Mykhailo Mudryk’s career has been thrown into turmoil, but his old club Shakhtar Donetsk have come out swinging in his defence. The Ukrainian winger, slapped with a provisional suspension in December 2024 after testing positive for meldonium, now faces an official doping charge from The FA. Despite the storm, Shakhtar’s sporting director Dario Srna insists the 24-year-old is “completely innocent” and deserves full support.

Mudryk in football limbo

Mudryk’s case has left Chelsea fans in shock, particularly after the FA confirmed on June 18th, 2025, that the player had been charged under their Anti-Doping Rule Violations. For now, his career is on ice as the investigation unfolds.

Srna stands firm behind Mudryk

Speaking to BBC Sport, Srna said: "When we speak about Mudryk, we don't think about the money, we speak about the human being. We feel so sorry for him. We know he is 100 per cent innocent - he will show that. We support him like an ex-player, a human being and a friend. We don't think the money is important."

CEO blasts "lawsuit nonsense"

Adding fuel to the frenzy, rumours began swirling on social media last week that Shakhtar might sue the Ukrainian Football Association if Mudryk’s ban caused them to miss out on future payments. But CEO Sergei Palkin has rubbished the claims, calling them “absolute nonsense.”

"I don't know where that information [about potentially suing the UAF] came from. It's nonsense. This idea has no basis whatsoever," he snapped. "I remain hopeful that this process with Mudryk will be resolved as quickly as possible, and that he will return to the pitch to continue his career. From time to time, I've spoken with Mudryk on the phone, and we've even met a couple of times in London. We maintain contact because he is our academy graduate and a high-profile player. Our relationship has always been good, and I felt it was important to support him morally during this period."

Chelsea FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League

Pogba's case offers hope

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba found himself in similar waters, hit with an initial four-year ban before having it cut to 18 months on appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Mudryk’s legal team, the same firm that fought Pogba’s corner, will be hoping for a similar outcome. For now, though, he remains locked out of action, his future uncertain, his name caught in controversy.