Start to life at Chelsea is not going well for Mykhaylo Mudryk as it is being reported that the Football Association (FA) has launched an investigation into a video where the Ukrainian is repeating a racial slur. The 22-year-old has already entered his first controversy in England after making a move this month. He completed a $108 million move to Stamford Bridge in the winter transfer window. The Blues beat Arsenal to his signature.
A video of him posted on TikTok in July 2022 had resurfaced. In the video, Mudryk recited Freestyle by American artist Lil Baby, a 2017 rap song. He repeated the N-word while singing the song.
The FA has opened an investigation into a video which showed Mykhailo Mudryk using the N-word in a TikTok video.
{The Athletic}
— Vince™ (@Blue_Footy) January 31, 2023
Mudryk has apologized via his representatives, who told The Sun: “Mykhaylo is deeply sorry for any offense caused.
“While his intention was solely to recite lyrics of a song, Mykhaylo regrets his decision and wholeheartedly accepts it was not appropriate.”
Leading football anti-racism group Kick it Out released a statement regarding the issue: “Kick It Out condemns the use of all racial slurs, including the N-word irrespective of context. The N-word is deeply offensive and the use of this term by high-profile figures in football can only serve to alienate people from the game.
“It is important that footballers use their significant platform in a positive way, and we’re encouraged to see that Mykaylo Mudryk has acknowledged the hurt caused by his use of this offensive slur.”
The video, which was viewed over 200,000 times, has since been deleted. However, Mudryk is now facing an investigation, as per The Athletic.
Will Mykhaylo Mdryk face the same fate as many other players under the FA?
The FA has previously not spared many players who posted racial or homophobic content on social media. West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen was one of the many who received a warning. Bowen was found using the N-word on a Twitter post in 2012. He was 15 at the time so he escaped the issue with a warning.
Am I missing something with the Jarrod Bowen situation? Swear he was 15 when he tweeted it? It’s obviously wrong and I sincerely hope he’s learnt from it now but he was a kid, probably had no understanding that simply saying the N word was wrong at that age.
— niran (@TheOfficialFNG) March 26, 2021
Former Burnley and Watford forward Andre Gray made homophobic comments in 2012. For that, he was given a four-match ban in 2016. Former Arsenal academy player, Marc Bola also received a written warning. He got it for using a homophobic slur in a tweet when he was 14.
Graham Potter and Chelsea will now wait to discover what fate Mudryk faces. They will hope that he gets away with a warning and build on a promising debut against Liverpool.
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