Jose warned he faces two days in court
IF Jose Mourinho had planned to use next week to identify Manchester United’s latest blockbuster signing at Euro 2016, he had better strike it from his diary.
Instead of France, the ‘ Special One’ will find himself in south London on Monday and Tuesday, walking past a jet car-wash blaring out pop music, to the side entrance of the Croydon Employment Tribunal.
In this nondescript building, Mourinho will receive a two-day grilling from Mary O’Rourke QC, the barrister representing Dr Eva Carneiro.
O’Rourke is an Old Trafford season-ticket holder, but don’t expect her to show sympathy for United’s new manager as this sexual discrimination case is picked apart.
Indeed, in yesterday’s opening to the tribunal, O’Rourke insisted that more than one day would be needed to cross- examine Mourinho in the witness box.
It promises to be a fascinating — and potentially damaging — insight into the mind of the world’s most high-profile football manager. And with Roman Abramovich’sovichs right-hand woman Marinaarina Granovskaia and Chel-elsea chairman Brucee Buck also scheduled to give evidence, the hearing will shine a light into the power structure of one of the country’s biggest clubs.
Both sides releasedd skeleton arguments con-ntaining a string ofof revelations. Chief among them was that Carneiro, the club’s former first-team doctor, rejected an ‘ open offer’ of £1.2million to drop the case before it reached this point.
Chelsea and Mourinho then listed issues that ‘raised concern as to her attitude and commitment’ to the job, painting Carneiro as publicity hungry and obsessed with raising her profile.
They say she deliberately positioned herself behind Mourinho in the dug- out, had talks over her own TV show, posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans, and nominated a first-team player after taking the ‘ Ice Bucket Challenge’C in a YouTubeY video. ChelseaC claim the 42year-old demanded a pay rrise from £285,000 to £400400,00000 — plus a ‘ bonus scheme’ — to draw a line under the issue last August.
In return, Carneiro alleges that Mourinho berated, sexually harassed and then demoted her after she ran on to the pitch to treat Eden Hazard in the final moments of Chelsea’s Premier League match with Swansea.
Carneiro’s skeleton argument opened: ‘This is a tale of two employees: one good and one bad.’ No prizes for guessing who the bad one is.
The doctor, who appeared at the hearing alongside her polar explorer husband Jason De Carteret, will take the stand for questioning this week, expanding on her allegations. She accuses Chelsea of taking no action following ‘sexually explicit chanting’ about her at away matches at Manchester United and West Ham. She was allegedly subjected to ‘regular sexually explicit comments from colleagues’ and wasn’t given an official club suit or female changing facilities despite nearly 300 games’ service.
After she was banished from the bench, Carneiro claims Mourinho said: ‘She works in academy team or ladys (sic) team not with me.’
Carneiro also says Granovskaia texted her on the evening of the Swansea flare-up, saying: ‘People who know, know you did nothing wrong. People who know Jose also know he’s ranting.’
All of which will be put to Mourinho during the 10-day hearing.