How long can Mykhailo Modric be suspended after a positive drug test

It is looking increasingly likely that Mykhailo Modric’s Chelsea career peaked during a bright but ultimately inconclusive debut in a goalless draw with Liverpool in January 2023.

The eccentric striker scored just ten goals for the Blues over the next two years – just five in the Premier League – and has now been accused of… Failing a drug test.

Modric insists the news came as a “complete shock” and has vehemently protested his innocence. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest developments in the 23-year-old’s life Chelsea Professional life.

Modric had missed Chelsea’s previous five matches, with his last appearance for the west London side coming in a match 2-0 win in the Europa League On Heidenheim. Enzo Maresca has repeatedly explained the Ukrainian’s absence under the pretext of “illness”, however The times It was reported that Mudryk was not available for selection following this positive test.

A specialist sports law firm acting for Modric strongly insisted that its client “has not been charged with any form of doping offence”.

However, Chelsea confirmed that the FA had detected a “negative result in a routine urine test”.

Mail sport Determine that the positive sample relates to a contaminated supplement. While this has not been confirmed by the player or the club, the Ukrainian outlet that was the first to publish the news of the failed doping test, platformThe banned substance was called mildronate.

Mildronate, the trade name for meldonium, has been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2016. It is regularly used to treat heart disease, falls in the same class as insulin, and has been discovered to enhance athletic performance. By increasing the body’s ability to carry oxygen.

The Soviets took this drug while hiking in the mountains of Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989. Former Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova tested positive for meldonium in March 2016 and was temporarily suspended.

Any potential contamination is expected to occur outside the UK because the substance is not available in that country.

Maximum penalty Modric He could face a four-year ban.

This harsh punishment can only be implemented in two scenarios, as shown in FIFA Statutes. First: If the player took a prohibited substance and was unable to prove that he did so by accident. Or the player took what is classed as a “specified substance” – which is prohibited but may have a reliable, non-doping explanation – and FIFA can prove that he did so intentionally.

If neither of these scenarios are met – for example, a player can prove they accidentally took a banned substance – the ban could be reduced to two years.

It was reported that Modric passed a drug test in August and insists he did not change anything before the positive result in October.

If Modric is hit with a four-year ban in the new year, he will still have two and a half years left on his Chelsea contract, which will not expire until 2031.

It’s a waiting game for Modric at the moment. Under FA rules, the striker was provisionally suspended after being notified of his positive test results before attempting to provide an explanation.

During each drug test, the player’s urine or blood is divided into two parts; A and B tested positive. Mudryk from his “A” sample. Now, the 23-year-old is awaiting the results of his ‘B’ sample which will be revealed in due course.

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