Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been cleared to resume his career after the Football Association and the World Anti-Doping Agency resolved his appeal against a ban stemming from a failed doping test.
The Ukraine international was handed a four-year suspension after testing positive for a low concentration of meldonium, a prohibited substance, in a drug test conducted in 2024.
Mudryk appealed the sanction to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. During the appeals process, changes to World Anti-Doping Agency procedures meant that an identical test result under the current rules would not have led to charges, paving the way for the resolution of his case.
"Changes have been made, which, while not retroactive, mean that if Mr. Mudryk's sample were collected today, the concentration of meldonium in the sample would not have been reported and no anti-doping rule violations would have resulted," the FA said in a statement.
"Further to that development and to other circumstances of the case, the FA and Mr. Mudryk have now, with the agreement of WADA, resolved the appeal proceedings.
"As part of the agreement, Mr. Mudryk accepted that he had committed the anti-doping rule violations charged and agreed to a period of ineligibility equal to the time already served as of the date of the agreement.
"Mr. Mudryk is no longer ineligible and may return to competition with immediate effect."
Mudryk, who has not played since November 2024, joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for 62 million pounds ($83 million) in 2023.
The 25-year-old struggled to make an impact for the west London club before his ban but will now have a chance to impress new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso.
"From the outset, this has been an extremely difficult period for Misha, both professionally and personally, and we are pleased that the matter has now reached a conclusion that allows him to return to football with immediate effect," Chelsea said in a statement.
"Misha has consistently maintained that he never knowingly or intentionally used a prohibited substance and did not know how traces of the substance entered his system.
"Throughout this process, he has conducted himself professionally and with resilience during what has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging periods of his career.
"We know how much this opportunity to return means to him. Our focus now is on supporting Misha's reintegration into the squad and helping him resume his career."