Olympic scandal involving Ukrainian Mudryk reaches surprising conclusion
British sports portal Goal apologizes to Mykhailo Mudryk (photo: Getty Images)
The well-known UK sports site Goal publicly apologized to Ukrainian footballer Mykhailo Mudryk for publishing a false article claiming he planned to compete at the Olympics as a sprinter.
Goal's apology
The media outlet officially released a statement admitting the published piece was fake and harmed the footballer's reputation.
"We apologise unreservedly to Mr Mudryk for the distress, embarrassment, and damage caused by the publication. The article has been removed from our platforms," the statement reads.
On September 19, Goal published an article suggesting the Ukrainian star would compete at the 2028 Olympics as a sprinter:
"Mykhailo Mudryk to compete at the 2028 Olympics?! Chelsea star considers shock career change after doping ban left football career hanging by a thread," the post read.
The editorial team admitted this information was false and misleading.
Specifically, Mudryk has not been disqualified from football. He was only temporarily suspended, and the final decision in his anti-doping case has not yet been made. It was also confirmed that the player has no plans to pursue a career in athletics.
Mudryk's case at Chelsea
Mykhailo Mudryk joined the London club in January 2023 for €70 million. Since then, he has played 73 matches for Chelsea.
In December 2024, he was temporarily suspended after testing positive for a banned substance. In June 2025, he was officially charged.
Mudryk maintains that he never knowingly took any banned substances. However, under the rules, athletes bear responsibility for everything in their bodies, unless they can prove it was sabotage or a testing mistake.
Earlier, we reported why Mudryk was banned from driving in the UK for six months.
