We tell you about Ukrainian footballers and UPL players who were “caught” using prohibited drugs.
On the night of December 17, it became known that the midfielder of London's Chelsea and the Ukrainian national team Mykhailo Mudrik tested positive for doping.
The 23-year-old footballer's sample “A” was found to contain the banned substance meldonium. Mikhail was temporarily suspended from football. It is expected that the “B” sample will be opened in the coming days. After that, it will become clear whether Mudrik faces disqualification and, if so, for how long.
Mudrik himself has already confirmed the information about his positive doping test, making a statement on social networks.
While everyone is eagerly awaiting details on the Mudryk case, we suggest recalling other doping scandals in Ukrainian football.
Sergey Nagornyak
The scandal around Nagornyak is the first such case in Ukrainian football. In 1997, a prohibited substance, bromantan, was found in a doping sample of a player of the Ukrainian national team. The Football Federation of Ukraine punished him, disqualifying him until December 31, 1999.
According to the official version, Dnipropetrovsk Dnipro doctor Leonid Levchenko advised Nagornyak to take medication that could relieve the footballer of excessive nervousness and dizziness. As a result, Nagornyak received a two-year disqualification, which was later reduced, which allowed him to end up in Shakhtar Donetsk almost a year earlier.
Yaroslav Khoma
Karpaty Lviv midfielder Yaroslav Khoma tested positive for doping after a match with Dynamo in the 2002/03 season. Testosterone levels in his blood were found to be five and a half times higher than normal.
The footballer was disqualified for 7 months, and the team was fined 3 thousand dollars.
Rusmin Dedic
In 2003, the doping test of the Slovenian midfielder of “Vorskla” Rusmin Dedic showed a positive result. It was established that the player used prohibited food additives during the match with Mariupol “Illichivets”.
As a result, Dedich was disqualified for six months, and the Poltava club, which terminated the contract with the footballer after this situation, was fined 3 thousand dollars.
Dmytro Nevmyvaka
In 2006, defender of Zaporizhzhya Metallurg Dmytro Nevmyvaka got into a doping scandal. The player did not suspect that during his performances for the youth team he was taking medications containing prohibited substances. They were prescribed to him by a doctor from the clinic.
UEFA punished the footballer with a one-year suspension from football.
Denis Stoyan
In the 2007/08 season, marijuana was found in a doping test of then-Simferopol Tavriya player Denis Stoyan. The player claimed that the substance was slipped into his hookah.
Despite the player's assurances that the drugs had entered his system unintentionally, he was disqualified for four months.
Valentin Slyusar
In the 2008/09 season, traces of a banned substance were found in the body of Kharkiv Metalist player Valentin Slyusar. Allegedly, on the advice of his wife, he was taking weight loss pills.
As a result, the footballer received a two-month disqualification.
Anton Shendrik
Uzhgorod “Zakarpattia” defender Anton Shendrik, who was involved in a doping scandal in September 2009, got off with a one-month disqualification.
It was reported that the footballer was bothered by a runny nose. After a visit to the doctor, he began using a spray that contained prohibited substances.
Lasha Dzhakobiya
In the same 2009, methadone was found in the blood of the Kyiv Arsenal legionary, Georgian Lasha Dzhakobiya. According to him, the banned substance was mixed into the wine he drank to relieve stress.
The Georgian footballer was disqualified for six months.
Oleksiy Gai
In 2011, a banned substance was found in Shakhtar midfielder Oleksiy Gai. But he was never punished, getting off with just a warning. His innocence was proven during the investigation.
The midfielder took cold medicine and informed Shakhtar doctors about it. However, they did not pay due attention to it. The punishment was given to the head of the Donetsk club's medical service, Artur Glushchenko, who was disqualified for six months.
Alexander Rybka
In the same 2011, doping was found in the body of Shakhtar goalkeeper Alexander Rybka. The goalkeeper took a prohibited diuretic for weight loss without the knowledge of the Donetsk club's doctors.
UEFA suspended Rybka for two years. Shakhtar tried to appeal this punishment, but all of the Donetsk team's appeals were rejected.
Valeriy Lebed
In 2014, Donetsk Olimpik midfielder Valeriy Lebed was “caught” doping. He used Tenoric, a blood pressure normalizing drug recommended to him by his wife.
The footballer was suspended from football for four months.
Fred
In 2015, Shakhtar and Brazil national team midfielder Fred tested positive for doping at the Copa America.
The banned substance hydrochlorothiazide was found in the footballer's blood. This is a diuretic drug commonly used to treat heart failure.
The player was supposed to be disqualified for two years, but his “ban” was reduced to one year.
Stanislav Mikieyse
In 2017, Oleksandria defender Stanislav Mikieyse failed a doping test. For a long time, he had been using a drug to treat hypertension, which is considered banned.
As a result, the footballer received a disqualification for one and a half years.
Dario Srna
In September 2017, Ukrainian football was rocked by a big news story. Long-time Shakhtar captain Dario Srna reported that a banned substance had been found in his body.
The doping sample of the Croatian Shakhtar defender revealed atypical levels of endogenous steroid profile components. His sample contained banned exogenous derivatives of dehydroepiandrosterone.
On February 22, 2018, the National Anti-Doping Center of Ukraine suspended the Croatian from football for six months.
Artem Yarmolenko
In the 2018/19 season, Odessa Chornomorets player Artem Yarmolenko tested positive for doping. It turned out that he had used ostarine, which has been banned by WADA since January 2018.
The footballer received a two-year disqualification.
Artem Besedin
In December 2019, Dynamo reported a possible violation of UEFA anti-doping rules by striker Artem Besedin. The footballer's doping test revealed the banned drug fonturacetam, which, as it turned out, entered his system by mistake.
During the investigation, it was established that after the Europa League match against Malmö, the then doctor of the “white-blues” Leonid Mironov mixed up the headache pills and accidentally gave Artem the banned drug from his personal medicine cabinet.
Despite the fact that Besedin did not admit his guilt, he was unable to avoid punishment. The striker was suspended from football for one year.