Financial expert Kieran Maguire explained what consequences a positive doping test could have for Chelsea midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk.
Mykhailo Mudryk— There are two issues here: if he fails the doping test and is banned for four years, which, in my opinion, is the maximum, then they will need to look at the current value of his contract worth £88 million, which is structured over 8 years, and they will have to write it off to the amount they believe they can sell the player for in 4 years, or write off the entire contract.
This will have significant implications for profitability and sustainability. Looking at the Premier League guide, it seems that under these circumstances there is no way out, so it could become a very large blow to compliance with the profitability and sustainability rule.
There is a sort of precedent when Chelsea signed Adrian Mutu about 20 years ago, and he had a different type of failed doping test, but they tried to recover the money, and the court awarded them £14 million from the player himself.
There are many unresolved issues. If the player is found guilty, and the contract has what we sometimes call a “bad reputation clause,” which states that if you behave unprofessionally, it can be considered gross misconduct, then under such circumstances the club has the right to terminate the contract and then demand compensation.
If the contract contains a gross misconduct clause, and this is considered part of the doping-related violation, then the club will look at the fine print and see what options they have.
One option is to suspend the player, another is to terminate the contract, and under these circumstances, will they have the right to any compensation from the player? There has been a significant investment, and he signed a very long contract.
Then I think there were many observers who said this could really work out for the club if the player continues to improve, his value will increase, and he will be under contract for many years.
The downside and risk is that you also remain under contract in case something goes wrong, so it really comes down to getting proper legal advice, and I’m sure Chelsea will go this route if the worst happens,” quotes Maguire from talkSport.
