The Football Association have announced that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is to be investigated following allegations made by a member of public who claimed that he used abusive and sexist comments towards club doctor Eva Carneiro.
Carneiro’s role was downgraded following the incident during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Swansea City on 8 August. Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn ran onto the pitch to treat Eden Hazard who appeared to be injured.
In turn, Chelsea were reduced to nine players, following Thibaut Courtois sending-off. Carneiro has been in talks with her lawyers over her job status, although the Times claimed this week that she could be making a return to the bench during this weekend’s clash against Arsenal.
In the aftermath of the incident, Mourinho told the Telegraph: “I wasn’t happy with my medical staff because even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game.”
“If you go to the pitch to assist a player, then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem. I was sure that Eden didn’t have a serious problem. He had a knock and was very tired.
“My medical department left me with eight fit outfield players in a counter attack after a set piece and we were worried we didn’t have enough players left.”
Carneiro, 41, received huge amounts of support on social media for simply doing her job. After being demoted by Mourinho, supporters around the world were condemning his decision and viewed his comments as a distraction from how terrible Chelsea played during the game.
The Gibraltar born doctor thanked everyone for their support on social media, as she stated: “I would like to thank the general public for their overwhelming support. Really very much appreciated.”
The complaint against Mourinho is unlikely to lead to a criminal prosecution, although the FA have a set of rules that they will need to enforce if he is found guilty.
According to the BBC, FA regulations state that players and coaches can be penalized for using “offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures”. Aggravating circumstances, such as the use of sexist language, can lead to a minimum five-match ban.
A potential five-match ban to Mourinho could signal the end of Chelsea’s intentions of retaining their Premier League crown. Manchester City are already eleven points clear of Mourinho’s men after the opening five games of the season. Surely, Mourinho will have no one else to blame but himself if he is proven guilty.
