Famous sports lawyer Illya Skoropashkin explained when, with the most positive developments, the winger of the Ukrainian national team and London’s Chelsea, Mykhailo Mudryk, who was suspended from football a year ago for using prohibited substances, will be able to return to the game.
Illya Skoropashkin— What is the current status of Mudryk’s disqualification? A very long time has passed, and they say Misha has even been seen at Chelsea’s training base. But why is the official announcement of the verdict taking so long?
— The process is ongoing. A quick verdict in doping cases usually occurs under a simplified procedure if the athlete admits guilt. The fact that this process is taking a long time is a sign of serious work being done.
The earlier mentioned version of a prohibited substance entering Mykhailo’s body requires proof, and these are complex processes involving scientists, conducting various studies and examinations. In this case, the delay is a sign of a struggle, not that the Mudryk case has been forgotten.
Regarding Mudryk’s appearance at Chelsea’s base, extreme caution is required here. The WADA code prohibits any participation in club activities during suspension, and violation of this can have adverse consequences.
— When they talk about sample “A” and sample “B” concerning Mudryk’s situation, does it mean there were more than one instances of him being found with prohibited substances?
— When the media talks about “two positive samples,” it does not mean two separate incidents or violations. It refers to the standard procedure of collecting material, which is immediately divided into two containers: sample “A” and sample “B”. There have been cases where they differed due to human error or a very small amount of a prohibited substance in the athlete’s body. In this case, sample “A” was confirmed by sample “B”, so it’s about one violation.
— What is special about Mudryk’s case? There is practically no information except that there are two positive doping tests — and that’s it.
— The Mudryk case is not unique, especially against the backdrop of recent precedents. The peculiarity of Mudryk’s case is that it occurs precisely in this era of the humanization of sports justice in doping cases.
Not so long ago, it was almost impossible to prove a contaminated supplement. It was equally challenging with unintentional use. But the cases of Simona Halep (2023, reduced from 4 years to 9 months), Paul Pogba (2024, from 4 years to 18 months), Ukrainian athlete Roman Petruk (2024, 16 months), our weightlifter Oleksandr Rubets (different results in samples) demonstrate that anti-doping bodies and CAS have begun to listen to scientific evidence and distinguish between direct intent and negligence, sabotage, or error.
— Is there a rule in sports, similar to life, where time spent in custody reduces the actual sentence, or even counts as two days?
— Each day counts as a day. The entire period that an athlete spends under temporary suspension must be fully included in the disqualification term.
— Is there at least a minimal chance that Mudryk will return to play before the World Cup or their playoffs and help Ukraine qualify?
— It depends on the work of his defense. It is necessary to convincingly prove that Mykhailo was a victim of a contaminated supplement or, in the worst case, someone’s negligence. Then everything will be fine, and we will see Mykhailo on the field again.
Viktor Glukhenky
