After news of his positive test was made public, Mudryk wrote on Instagram: “This has come as a complete shock as I have never knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened. “I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon.”Mudryk’s legal team and those in his tight-knit circle insist he did not knowingly ingest any banned substance, and multiple sources claim he has passed an unverified lie detector test attesting to that.The BBC has learned that Mudryk came into contact with the cardiovascular medication meldonium, which has the potential to increase respiratory capacity and stamina, while on duty with the Ukraine national team. When asked to verify this, the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) did not issue a denial, but insisted none of their staff members were involved.”UAF officials cannot comment on this matter, since the UAF is not a part of this case,” it told BBC Sport. “The World Anti-Doping Energy (Wada) or the English FA didn’t send any request to the UAF.”We are in close contact with Mudryk’s lawyers and provide them with all necessary information. We cannot comment further, as a non-disclosure provision is in effect.”No UAF official, staff, doctors, or coach were involved.”UAF president and former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has not visited him at any point, although he also maintains a residence in London.It remains unclear how exactly Mudryk apparently ingested meldonium, which has been banned by Wada since 2016 and is primarily used in Eastern European countries to treat conditions such as angina, heart failure, and coronary artery disease.Tests at the 2015 European Games in Baku found that 13 medallists were taking the substance at the time, and that its use occurred in the majority of the sports included in the Games.Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova failed a drugs test in March 2016 after meldonium was detected in her sample.
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Mudryk: Doping case status and whereabouts of Chelsea and Ukraine winger explained
