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CHELSEA star Mykhailo Mudryk has been handed more agony on top of his doping suspension.
The Ukrainian international has reportedly been “dumped” by a Russian model.
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InstagramMudryk, 24, is currently out of action after he was hit with a provisional suspension after he provided a positive result for an A-sample in late October.
Mudryk and Chelsea are now awaiting the result of the B-sample, which will confirm the original test if it also comes back positive – potentially leading to a FOUR YEAR ban.
The winger has denied any wrongdoing, but hasn’t played for The Blues since November.
Life away from the pitch appears to have taken a hit too, with lifestyle social media page Game, Set & Match claiming that he has been dumped by fitness model Violetta Bert.
Mudryk had been linked with Bert in recent months, but hadn’t gone public with their relationship.
And now it’s claimed that Bert has ditched Mudryk to head on a romantic getaway with former Premier League star Weston McKennie.
US international McKennie, 26, currently plays his football with Juventus, but previously spent six months on loan in the Prem with Leeds United.
It’s reported that McKennie and Bert have jetted off to France to head on a romantic getaway at world famous ski resort Courchevel.
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Instagram @violetta.bertHow long are drugs bans in football?
By SunSport's Joshua Jones
MYKHAILO MUDRYK could be banned for up to four years after failing a drugs test
But what are the rules regarding drugs in football?
There is a big difference between recreational drugs and performance-enhancing substances.
Recreational drugs – such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin, LSD and MDMA – carry a six-month suspension.
However, this ban can increase to up to two years if a drug is detected when a player is tested after a match.
But performance-enhancing drugs carry a far more severe punishment.
And crucially the alleged drug Mudryk tested positive for, meldonium, falls under that category.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code’s standard ban is four years.
That is how long Paul Pogba was suspended for following his failed drugs test – although it was later reduced on appeal to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The FA follows the UK Anti-Doping code under the WADA authority so will follow their lead and procedures.
Should Mudryk’s follow-up secondary ‘B’ sample also test positive, he is likely to be hit with at least an 18-month ban but it could be as high as four years.
The only person in football currently banned on the UKAD sanctions list for anti-doping rule violations is Craig Campbell.
The former Scottish striker was banned for four years in December 2022 after being convicted of dealing cocaine.
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The pair both began following each other on social media in October and have been exchanging likes on their posts since then.
While they both shared snaps of their holiday in the French Alps online, only for McKennie to swiftly delete his from his account.
It’s worth caveating that neither McKennie or Bert appeared in each other’s posts, however they did share pictures from the same locations.
It’s not clear if the pair are officially dating at the moment.
Bert, who boasts 779,000 followers on Instagram, has also unfollowed Mudryk on Instagram.
Mudryk’s reported heartbreak comes as his long wait continues for a decision on his ban.
The star has failed to live up to his £88m transfer to Stamford Bridge in 2023, and would go down as a catastrophic acquisition if he is banned long-term.
After his positive test was initially announced, Mudryk defended himself on Instagram.
He wrote: “I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance.
“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. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has publically declared the club’s backing of the forward too.
He said: “We support and we trust Misha. Trust means that we believe Misha.
“We support Misha and then we see. We are all sad. Me, the club, the players, we are all there.”
What drug did Mudryk take?
By SunSport's Joshua Jones
MYKHAILO MUDRYK returned a positive sample for a drugs test in October.
The Chelsea winger could face a ban for up to four years – because the drug was a performance-enhancing substance.
It is alleged Mudryk had the drug meldonium in his system.
Meldonium – aka mildronate – is a metabolic modulator similar to insulin and is widely used in Eastern Europe.
It is used in heart disease therapy but is also claimed to enable athletes to withstand greater stress, use oxygen more sparingly and restore energy levels quickly.
Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list in January 2016 following its high prevalence at the 2015 European Games in Baku.
Just months later, former tennis world No1 and Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation – although this was later cut to 15 months on appeal.
Sharapova had been taking the drug for ten years for various health issues and claimed she was unaware it had been added to the banned list.
Also in 2016, Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin was found to have traces of meldonium in his system before he was due to fight fellow heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder.
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