FA chairman criticises Jose Mourinho over club doctor row

The English Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, has told officials that the Chelsea manager, José Mourinho, committed "a failure of his personal judgement" in his criticism of team doctor Eva Carneiro, despite the FA's disciplinary process clearing Mourinho of making discriminatory comments towards the then club doctor.

Dyke’s comments, which were included in a letter to council members sent after Wednesday’s FA board meeting, also said that Mourinho should have apologised for his actions during the game against Swansea on August 8th.

They came in the wake of a stinging attack from independent board member Heather Rabbatts, who questioned why the FA did not interview Carneiro during its investigation.

“There have been some well-documented issues of late around equality and inclusion in the game, an issue where it is vital we continue to show clear leadership,” reads Dyke’s letter.

Good example

“I felt the handling of the case of the Chelsea doctor, Eva Carneiro, was a good example of this. We supported Heather Rabbatts’ strong statement on the matter earlier in the month.

"Personally I don't think Mr Mourinho comes well out of the whole saga – he clearly made a mistake in the heat of a game, and should have said so and apologised. Instead he has said very little and Miss Carneiro has lost her job.

“Our regulatory team have investigated this and whilst Mr Mourinho has breached no rules it was clearly a failure of his personal judgement and public behaviour. This should be seen as such by the game.”

Mourinho, who has always protested his innocence, was cleared of wrongdoing on Wednesday after the FA, having appointed an academic expert in Portuguese linguistics, declared itself satisfied the language used by the manager was not discriminatory under its rules.

Mourinho had been infuriated that Dr Carneiro and the physio Jon Fearn had entered the field of play, having been waved on by the referee, to treat Eden Hazard in stoppage time as his 10 men sought to close out a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, with the nature of a complaint submitted to the FA understood to have centred on whether he used the phrase "Filha da Puta", with "Filha" being the feminine and singular in the Portuguese, as opposed to the masculine "Filho".

It is understood that, because the complaint was not made by Carneiro herself, she was not called as a witness by the FA regulation team but that the governing body contacted her lawyers and indicated that, if she wished to submit any evidence, it would be receptive to her observations.

That offer was apparently not taken up.

Guardian Service