Topics: Chelsea, Football, Mykhailo Mudryk, Premier League
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk appears to have finally spoken out after being hit with one of longest bans in history.
Following a lengthy investigation that began following his suspension after failing a doping test last December, the FA confirmed that Mudryk had been charged with doping offences last week.
The test came back with traces for the prohibited substance meldonium, which could lead to him being banned from playing for as long as four years.
In an official statement, the FA told SPORTbible: ""We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with Anti-Doping Rule Violations alleging the presence and/or use of a prohibited substance, in terms of Regulations 3 and 4 of The FA’s Anti-Doping Regulations.
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"As this is an ongoing case, we are not in a position to comment further at this time."
Following the initial reports in December, Mudryk denied knowingly breaking any doping rules but has remained silent since he was charged, until now.
Bizarrely, the Ukrainian appears to have responded to the news by changing his profile picture and bio on Instagram, removing all mentions of Chelsea, or football in general.
His profile picture is now of popular actor Christian Bale from the movie American Psycho, where he plays the role of Patrick Bateman a New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer.
Meanwhile his bio now simply reads: "Watch how they hate."
It is unclear exactly what Mudryk is trying to say by making the changes, but it's safe to say that he's not happy with the news.
Chelsea will also understandably be frustrated with the news after they spent up to £88.5 million when signing him from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023.
In a statement posted on Instagram when the initial news broke in December, the 24-year-old said: "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."
