Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is to be investigated over the language he used during the Eva Carneiro affair, the Football Association have announced.
A member of the public apparently emailed the FA regarding the incident which occurred during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at home to Swansea on the opening day of the season.
Having already lost Thibaut Courtois to a red card for a foul on Bafetimbi Gomis earlier in the match, Mourinho was incensed to see both the Chelsea club doctor Eva Carneiro and the physio Jon Fearn run on to the pitch when Eden Hazard appeared to be lying on the floor with an injury.
The Premier League’s rules are such that if a player is given treatment then he must leave the field of play, meaning that Chelsea were temporarily reduced to nine men with just minutes of the game remaining and the score line finely balanced. Mourinho, clearly angry on the sideline, can be seen to shout, “Hey! Hey! Get off the pitch now! F**king hell!” He then went on to shout “filho da puta” at the doctor, a Portuguese phrase that means ‘son of a bitch’.
The Football Associations own regulations state that ‘offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures’ used by players or managers can be penalised, with more aggravating language, such as sexist words, can lead to a five match ban in the event that the perpetrator is found guilty by the FA.
After the match the defending Premier League champion’s manager called his medical team’s actions “impulsive and naïve” and went on to say, “Whether you are a kit man, doctor or secretary on the bench you have to understand the game. You have to know you have one player less and to assist a player you must be sure he has a serious problem. I was sure Eden did not have a serious problem. He had a knock. He was tired”. His use of the phrase ‘secretary on the bench’ led some to believe he was making a thinly veiled sexist remark at Carneiro’s expense, though it is unlikely that that will form part of the FA’s investigation.
Carneiro is yet to return to her role as doctor at Chelsea and has been in discussions with her lawyers since the event took place. Her role was downgraded by Mourinho, with the decision taken that she would not sit on the bench or attend training sessions, though she would still work with first team players at Cobham, Chelsea’s training ground. The Times reported last week that she is now close to returning to first team duties at the club, though it remains unclear what format those duties will take.