Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk failed drugs test Q&A: How does the testing regime work in football? What are the penalties? How long does this take?

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Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after being notified of a positive drugs test by the Football Association.

The Premier League giants shared a statement on Tuesday morning, writing: 'Chelsea Football Club can confirm the Football Association recently contacted our player Mykhailo Mudryk concerning an adverse finding in a routine urine test.

'Both the Club and Mykhailo fully support The FA’s testing programme and all our players, including Mykhailo, are regularly tested. Mykhailo has confirmed categorically that he has never knowingly used any banned substances. Both Mykhailo and the Club will now work with the relevant authorities to establish what has caused the adverse finding.'

Mudryk broke his silence shortly after the club's statement on social media, stating that the adverse finding had come as a 'complete shock'. 

Reports in Ukraine that the substance is meldonium are understood by Mail Sport to be correct.

Mail Sport's Mike Keegan answers the key questions following the positive test, which has thrust Mudryk's career into uncertainty.

Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended from football after a positive drugs test 

HOW DOES THE TESTING REGIME WORK IN FOOTBALL?

Players are tested randomly after games and at training grounds via a similar process. 

At matches, four blue-bibbed sample collectors wait in the tunnel at the end of the match. They then inform two players from each side that they have been selected to be tested. 

The players are then led to a pre-determined test room. They are given a cup and two glass pots. They urinate into the cup, and then pour similar amounts into each pot. They then twist the lids on each pot until a special locking mechanism clicks - signalling that they are closed. 

The players then wash their hands and fill out a from which asks them to name any supplements or medications they are taking. They are not permitted to return to the dressing room until the process is complete.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

UK Anti-Doping look after the testing regime. The samples are labelled A and B. The A sample is initially tested and the results examined. 

Should there be an adverse finding, the player is informed and a temporary suspension is issued. The suspension relates to all football-related activity – not just games. It means the player cannot train with his or her club. 

Should they request it, the player can be provided with the laboratory findings. Should the player not accept the finding of the A sample, the B sample is then tested to ensure the A sample was not contaminated. 

In the vast majority of cases both samples return the same result. 

Should the player wish, they can be present at the laboratory when the B sample is taken. If the B sample returns a negative test, the process is almost always stopped and the suspension lifted.

Mudryk broke his silence on Tuesday and claimed he has 'not done anything wrong'

Mudryk showed off his frame on Instagram in a recent upload from a lift at his London home

Mudryk published a statement on his Instagram account on Tuesday afternoon in response to his provisional suspension

DOES THE PLAYER HAVE A SAY?

Yes. After notification of the adverse finding of the A sample the Football Association ask the player to provide an explanation over how the substance in question ended up in their system. Here, there is ‘strict liability’, which means the player has to explain exactly where the substance came from. 

In some cases, for example, it could be argued that a substance was accidently rubbed into the bloodstream by a masseuse. A specified deadline is given on a case-by-case basis. 

Should the B sample confirm the result, they then have a short deadline to expand on their response.

WHO CHARGES?

Should they feel they have sufficient evidence following further investigations which often include an interview with the player (and a legal adviser), the FA will issue a charge via a ‘charge letter’ which will outline the relevant Anti-Doping Rule Violation. 

The charge letter will also set out the intended consequences. The player then has 20 days to respond, which can only be extended in exceptional circumstances. A reduction in sentence in exchange for a guilty plea can be offered at this stage. 

The player can then admit the charge, dispute the consequences or deny the charge and request a hearing via regulatory commission. UKAD, FIFA and WADA will also receive the letter. There is a 10-year statute of limitations.

CAN THE PLAYER APPEAL?

The player can appeal at this stage to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Should a hearing take place, the burden of proof lies with the FA, who will have to show beyond a balance of probability but less than beyond reasonable doubt that a doping rule violation has taken place.

Mail Sport can now reveal that the banned substance meldonium is believed to be behind Mudryk's failed test with reports in Ukraine understood to be correct

The substance is the same drug that former Russian tennis star and multiple Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova was previously banned for

WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES?

They vary, but a ban of up to four years is often considered. 

Read More

The truth of Mykhailo Mudryk's Chelsea nightmare - what was swept under carpet as he fails drug test

Former World No 1 tennis player Maria Sharapova tested positive for meldonium in 2016 and was banned for 24 months before CAS reduced the suspension to 15 months on appeal. Boxing’s Alexander Povetkin tested positive for the same substance in May 2016, which saw his heavyweight bout with Deontay Wilder postponed indefinitely. 

As a rule of thumb, if the substance was taken intentionally then the ban is likely to be four years, and two years if it was not.

HOW LONG DOES THIS TAKE?

‘How long is a piece of string?’ asked one industry expert.