June 7 – The former Chelsea team doctor who was verbally lambasted by Jose Mourinho and had her position downgraded rejected a £1.2 million settlement from the club, documents submitted to her employment tribunal show.
The case relates to the opening game of last season when Carneiro angered Chelsea’s then-manager by running on to the pitch with a physio to treat playmaker Eden Hazard in the closing stages of the opening Premier League match of the season.
Mourinho, who was sacked in December and has just been appointed manager Manchester United, called Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn “impulsive and naive” because their treatment temporarily left Chelsea with nine men, with another player already dismissed.
The treatment of Carneiro, including a ban from the bench and first-team duties, was widely criticised across the sport’s medical profession. She has since left the club.
She is claiming constructive dismissal against Chelsea and has filed a separate action against Mourinho for alleged victimisation and discrimination, according to British reports. Mourinho himself is expected to appear before the tribunal early next week.
Mourinho was reported to have called her “daughter of a whore” in his native Portuguese when she ran on to the pitch to treat Hazard.
“This is a tale of two employees, one good (Dr Carneiro) and one bad (Mr Mourinho),” said Mary O’Rourke QC, appearing for the claimant. “The bad employee forces the good employee out of the job of her dreams and the employer does nothing to stop it.
“The bad employee berates, sexually harassed and demoted the good employee for carrying out her professional duties, namely her health and safety duties as the first team doctor, pitch-side. Rather than investigating and disciplining the bad employee, the employer allows the bad employee to confirm demotion… and to continue with his job.
“As she ran on to the pitch she heard clearly from behind her the words filha da puta,” O’Rourke said.
However, Daniel Stilitz QC, for Chelsea, said Mourinho’s evidence was that he was not in any way being sexist.
“Filho da puta is a phrase he often uses,” Stilitz said, adding that it meant son of a bitch. “There is no sexist connotation.” Mourinho used the phrase frequently at the training ground and during matches, he added. Mexico, whose fans often shout ‘puta’ (meaning son of a whore) at opposition goalkeepers when they take goal kicks, have been fined by FIFA and repeatedly asked to control their supporters in this regard.
Chelsea and Mourinho are expected to argue Carneiro would still be in her job if she had not resigned. The club’s legal team said it would show Chelsea had taken steps to settle with Carneiro because it believed that it was “in no-one’s interests that this dispute should be determined through litigation”.
The case is expected to last more than week.
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