Eva Carneiro is demanding “substantial damages” from Chelsea for her treatment at Chelsea. She also wants an apology from the man who made her position untenable.
Carneiro and her legal team met with Chelsea for six hours at an employment tribunal in South London in an attempt to settle her case for constructive dismissal. They did not speak to the press after the meeting and did not give any indication that a settlement was reached. If that’s the case, a public hearing will be convened this June.
Speaking before the meeting, Carneiro’s barrister Mary O’Rourke QC told reporters that they weren’t optimistic about the tribunal, noting one particular sticking point.
We’re not expecting a resolution today. The two sides are so far apart financially. And we want Mr Mourinho to make a public apology.
This case stems from an incident at the beginning of the Premier League season when Carneiro was called onto the pitch by the referee to tend to Eden Hazard late in Chelsea’s 2-2 home draw against Swansea. Mourinho, eager to blame everything and everyone for Chelsea’s struggles but himself, lit into Carneiro and held her partly responsible in comments to the press. He then relieved her of matchday duties and forced her to work entirely out of an office at the team’s training facility at Cobham. She ultimately resigned and filed a discrimination suit against the club and Mourinho, saying she was thrown under the bus and held up for public ridicule primarily because she’s a woman.
The FA launched its own investigation but ultimately cleared Mourinho of any wrongdoing. Carneiro criticized the FA for neglecting key pieces of evidence and refusing to take testimony from her. Independent board member Dame Heather Rabbatts joined Carneiro in her criticism, saying she was angered over how the case was handled. (The FA then turned around and launched an investigation into Rabbatts’ public support of Carneiro, which probably illustrates where the governing body’s priorities lie.) Carneiro also received public support from Michel D’Hooghe, FIFA’s medical committee chief.
If a public hearing in June is indeed necessary, documents such as emails and text messages will be made public, and testimony from Carneiro and Mourinho (among others) will be required. Depending on how seriously you read into backpages gossip, that will also be around the time Mourinho takes over as manager at Manchester United.