Former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro has addressed comments made by Jose Mourinho and John Terry in a recent Netflix documentary. The documentary, titled ‘Mourinho’, revisits an incident from August 2015 involving Carneiro, Mourinho, and then-Chelsea player Eden Hazard during a match against Swansea City.
The incident occurred during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at home to Swansea City. In injury time, Carneiro and head physio Jon Fearn went onto the pitch to treat Hazard. This decision angered Mourinho, as Chelsea were already down to nine men after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had been sent off earlier in the second half. Mourinho publicly criticised his medical staff at the time, calling them ‘impulsive and naive’ and stating they did not ‘understand the game’.
The Incident Revisited
In the Netflix documentary, Mourinho recounted his perspective on the event. He stated, “I’m not a doctor, but my eyes know when a player is injured, and they know when a player is not injured.” Mourinho maintained that he believed Hazard was not injured, but the medical staff proceeded onto the pitch, leaving Chelsea with nine players. He also addressed allegations of sexist remarks, saying, “For me, a lady doctor is the same as a man’s doctor.” Mourinho explained that he uses strong vocabulary when unhappy, especially in high-tension moments, suggesting that individuals with a strong football background typically move past such language quickly, but this situation was different.
Former Chelsea captain John Terry also offered his view in the documentary. Terry claimed there was an unwritten rule among players that medical staff would not come onto the pitch for treatment unless an injury was severe. He stated that the understanding was that unless it was “really, really bad,” medical staff would not intervene during a game. Terry acknowledged that Mourinho received significant backlash for the incident, which put considerable pressure on the club.
Following the incident, Carneiro left her role at Chelsea the subsequent month. She later filed a claim of constructive dismissal against the club, which was eventually settled at an employment tribunal. The fallout from the event was substantial, with Carneiro, a Gibraltar native who had been with Chelsea’s first team since 2009, receiving a notice banning her from training grounds and stadiums before her departure. She later secured a public apology from the club and a confidential settlement after filing an unfair dismissal lawsuit against both Chelsea and Mourinho.
Carneiro’s Response
Carneiro has now responded to the comments made by Mourinho and Terry. In a post on X, she reflected on the situation, stating, “11 years on and here we are reliving the worst. Hope they made some money.” She emphasised the professional obligations of medical staff, writing, “We are bound by a medico-legal code of conduct.”
She directly addressed Terry’s comments, suggesting, “Genuinely it would be healthy for John Terry to learn the rules of the game. It’s been long enough mate.” Carneiro clarified the sequence of events during the match, asserting that referee Michael Oliver called them onto the pitch twice. She further stated that Eden Hazard personally requested medical assistance, confirming his need for help with eye contact from the sideline, also twice. Carneiro concluded by explaining that as a medical professional, her hands were bound by these circumstances, meaning she was obligated to provide assistance.
Mourinho himself stepped down as Chelsea’s manager in December 2015, just two months after Carneiro filed her lawsuit. However, he maintained in the documentary that his dismissal was solely due to poor performance, not the surrounding controversy. He highlighted that at the time, Chelsea had lost to Leicester City and faced difficulties with nine defeats in 16 matches. Mourinho stressed that while legal issues and lawsuits did not help the club, the ultimate reason for his departure under Roman Abramovich‘s ownership was the team’s results, adhering to a “win or get kicked out” philosophy.
The incident originally erupted during the Premier League opener against Swansea City in August 2015. At that point, Chelsea had only 10 players on the field after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off. When Eden Hazard fell after a tackle by opposing defender Ashley Williams in stoppage time of the second half, referee Michael Oliver called for medical staff, including Carneiro and John Fearn, to enter the pitch. Under regulations, a treated player must temporarily leave the field, which would have left Chelsea with only eight outfield players for the remaining time.
Carneiro had worked with Chelsea’s first team since 2009, serving under managers such as Andre Villas-Boas and Rafael Benitez. The documentary captures the scene where an enraged Mourinho directed harsh language at the medical staff without filtering. Mourinho, who is currently the Real Madrid manager, mentioned the past scandal in his Netflix documentary without shying away from the controversy, though he drew a line stating it was not the decisive reason for his departure from Chelsea.
Source: metro.co.uk