'Most difficult period of my career' — Mudryk reacts after CAS doping ruling

By Adegboyega Adeleye

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has described the last 20 months as “the most difficult period” of his career after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cleared him to resume playing with immediate effect, bringing an end to his long-running anti-doping case.

The 25-year-old made the remarks in a statement shared on his Instagram handle after CAS partially upheld his appeal against a four-year ban, allowing him to return to competitive football. The ruling followed an agreement between Mudryk, the Football Association, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Earlier on Friday, the BBC reported that Chelsea are set to reintegrate the Ukraine international into the squad, with the winger expected to join the club’s pre-season tour.

“This has been the most difficult period of my career,” Mudryk wrote.

He added: “I am grateful that this process has reached a conclusion, that I have been cleared to return to football and that I can now look ahead to my future.”