Chelsea star suspended for 4 years.. and the player resorts to “Cass” | sports

Chelsea winger Mykhailo Modric was subjected to a four-year ban from football, on charges of violating the anti-doping regulations of the English Football Association, before he later filed an official appeal against the decision.

The Athletic website, citing sources familiar with the case file, stated that the 25-year-old player received the maximum penalty after a violation related to prohibited substances was proven, while Modric affirms his complete adherence to his innocence and his rejection of the results of the accusation.

Modric has not played a professional match since November 2024, shortly before the FA contacted him regarding an abnormal result in a routine urine sample. In June 2025, he was formally charged with violating anti-doping regulations.

Since then, the player has continued his training individually at the facilities of the non-professional Uxbridge Club, with the aim of maintaining his physical readiness, pending the determination of the fate of his appeal.

The player’s lawyers confirmed that he had filed an official appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), where a statement issued by the court explained that it received the appeal on February 25, 2026, and that the procedures are still in the stage of exchanging written notes before setting the hearing.

Data indicate that the substance that appeared in the sample is “meldonium,” a substance used medically to treat heart disease and improve blood flow, but it has been included in the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2016, due to its potential effect on physical ability and endurance.

The FA system confirms that doping cases are treated according to the principle of “absolute liability”, meaning that the presence of the substance in the player’s body is considered a violation regardless of intent or knowledge, which makes the defense in such cases mainly dependent on the circumstances that mitigate the penalty.

The regulations stipulate that the maximum penalty may reach four years, with the possibility of reducing it depending on the circumstances, while any previous period of temporary suspension is taken into account.