Eva Carneiro treated Eden Hazard during a 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Swansea in August 2015 | GETTY/GB News
Real Madrid head coach, Jose Mourinho has revisited his infamous clash with former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro in 2015, insisting her gender had no bearing on his reaction to the incident.
GB News reported on Monday that Mourinho addressed the controversy in his new three-part Netflix documentary, MOURINHO, more than 11 years after the incident.
The row followed Chelsea’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Swansea City in August 2015, when Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn entered the pitch to treat Eden Hazard late in the game.
Mourinho was angered by the decision, believing Hazard did not require treatment, while the Belgian’s temporary departure from the pitch left Chelsea with nine players after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had already been sent off.
Carneiro later alleged that Mourinho had sexually discriminated against her during the incident and claimed he used an insulting Portuguese expression towards her.
Mourinho subsequently described Carneiro and Fearn as “impulsive and naive”, while Carneiro was removed from first-team duties and left Chelsea the following month.
Reflecting on the controversy in the documentary, Mourinho defended his conduct and said gender was irrelevant to his reaction.
“For me, a lady doctor is the same as a man’s doctor,” he said. “So, as always, I use my vocabulary when I’m not happy.
“There are words in moments where the tension is very, very high. Normally, people with football culture, with football DNA, with football background, they go over it in one second. In that case, it was different.”
Jose Mourinho has broken his silence on his infamous clash with former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro more than a decade after the controversy rocked Stamford Bridge | GETTY/GB News
Mourinho also maintained that he believed Hazard was not injured when the medical staff entered the pitch.
“I’m not a doctor, but my eyes know when a player is injured, and they know when a player is not injured,” Mourinho said.
“I knew that he was not injured, but the doctors went to the pitch, and in that moment we were left with nine players.”
Hazard also addressed the incident in the documentary, describing it as “nothing special” before adding that “with Jose everything is bigger”.
Former Chelsea captain John Terry said Mourinho’s expectations regarding medical treatment were understood by the players.
“Medically, he would say unless it’s really, really bad, then they’re not coming on,” Terry said.
“That was the understanding for us as players; the medical staff, everyone bought into that.
“It was a big moment obviously and he took a lot of backlash for that. There was a lot of heat on the football club.”
Carneiro later pursued legal action against Chelsea and Mourinho, including claims of constructive dismissal against the club and discrimination against Mourinho.
A settlement was reached in 2016, with its terms remaining confidential. Chelsea subsequently issued an unreserved apology to Carneiro and her family.
Mourinho did not publicly apologise at the time, and GB News reported that his latest comments contain no apology.
The controversy remains one of the most notable episodes of Mourinho’s second spell at Chelsea, which ended with his dismissal in December 2015, months after he led the club to the Premier League title.
The documentary also features Mourinho’s revelation that he had agreed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013 before ultimately returning to Chelsea.
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