> When news broke that Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has begun an appeal against a four-year doping ban, many football fans immediately asked, what ban?

> That is because the Football Association, who issued the ban to the Ukraine international because of an "adverse finding in a routine urine test", never announced its decision or any details of the punishment in public.

> The news only became common knowledge on Wednesday because the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) announced Mudryk had taken the decision to appeal against the ban.

> BBC Sport has been told Mudryk was banned by the FA in January but that only a close-knit group of people around him and a small number of people at Chelsea were informed.

> That is because the FA's anti-doping programme is deemed strictly confidential - all parts of the process, from testing to discussions with lawyers, are carried out behind closed doors in order to respect the privacy of footballers.

> The exact prohibited substance for which Mudryk tested positive has never been named by the FA, but BBC Sport understands it is the cardiovascular medication meldonium, which has the potential to increase respiratory capacity and stamina, which he came into contact with while on duty with the Ukraine national team.

> Last year, a spokesperson for the Ukranian FA (UAF) told BBC Sport none of its staff were involved in the case.

[More at the link](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqxpry93zv1o).

[BBC] Mykhailo Mudryk: Why was Chelsea winger given secret ban?