HE ‘CALLED HER DAUGHTER OF A WHORE’
Team doctor rejected £1.2m payoff from club, tribunal told
FORMER Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho called the team’s doctor a ‘daughter of a whore’, an employment tribunal heard yesterday.
He allegedly hurled the abuse at Dr Eva Carneiro in Portuguese during a match and later suggested she ‘didn’t understand’ football, it is claimed.
But Mourinho denies sexual discrimination and says he actually shouted ‘son of a bitch’, which he says is not sexist. Chelsea has offered Dr Carneiro £1.2million – more than four times her annual salary – to settle the case before it comes to court.
But she has rejected the sum and the offer of her ‘dream job’ back and instead is today due to take the witness stand to make her claims public.
The Premier League club and its former manager say it is in ‘nobody’s interest’ for her to air what their QC calls ‘a series of scandalous, irrelevant and untrue allegations’.
Since Mourinho and Dr Carneiro are Portuguese speakers, the London South Employment Tribunal in Croydon will attempt to resolve the ‘daughter of a whore’ claim with the help of experts ‘in Portuguese swearing’, the hearing was told.
The altercation came during the closing minutes of a home match against Swansea last August when she and another medic raced on to the pitch to treat midfielder Eden Hazard. Mourinho later criticised them in a TV interview for acting too hastily because it meant he would be a player down at a crucial point in the game, which ended 2-2.
Mary O’Rourke QC, for the doctor, said: ‘As Dr Carneiro ran onto the pitch, Mourinho shouted behind her “filha da puta”, which is Portuguese for “daughter of a whore”, which is a very offensive expression, aimed at her because she was the only female pitchside, understands Portuguese, and she had just run past him.
‘He uses the word because he is abusing a woman.
‘In the dressing room, Mourinho said to Dr [Paco] Biosca, the medical director, “If they don’t know how to do their jobs and they don’t understand the game, you get other ones. You have to understand the game”.’
Miss O’Rourke said: ‘“Not understanding the game” is a common allegation put to women in the football world.’ She said the club had sided with its manager – the ‘bad employee’ – rather than the ‘good employee’, the doctor. ‘The bad employee forces the good employee out of the job of her dreams and the employer does nothing to stop it,’ she said. ‘The bad employee berates, sexually harasses and demotes the good employee for carrying out her professional duties.’
Dr Carneiro, 42, who has demanded a public apology from Mourinho, arrived at the tribunal in a powder blue coat and cream dress, holding hands with her husband, polar
‘He is abusing a woman’
explorer Jason De Carteret. She accuses Mourinho – the self-anointed ‘Special One’ who won the Premier League three times in two spells at Chelsea – of victimisation and discrimination. She is also suing Chelsea for constructive dismissal, unfair dismissal under health and safety laws, sex discrimination and harassment.
Mourinho, now the £75million manager of Manchester United, is due to give evidence next week.
Daniel Stilitz QC, representing him and his former club, told the tribunal he will say swearing is a normal part of football. ‘It was Mr Mourinho’s style to express himself bluntly’, he said, adding his client was ‘clearly angry and emotional’ at the time.
Mr Stilitz said the doctor had added ‘scandalous’ allegations in the past few days to her witness statement – which is due to be aired today.
He said: ‘She has been made an open offer of £1.2million to settle her claims, far more than the respondents believe she could realistically recover even if she succeeded on all her claims.’
But she rejected ‘all overtures’, he said. Mr Stilitz dismissed the idea that Chelsea and Mourinho ‘ were somehow hostile to the idea of women working in football’. He also accused Dr Carneiro of making ‘extravagant’ demands after the incident, including a 40 per cent rise to take her £286,000 salary to £400,000.
And she asked for bonuses to ‘properly reward’ her for her contribution to the club’s success and a ‘substantial’ sum in compensation for distress, he alleged. Dr Carneiro was said to be ‘preoccupied with developing her profile’ such as signing fans’ autographs and positioning herself behind the manager when he was on TV.
Dr Carneiro is claiming ‘whole career’ damages. The club and its former manager say her claims ‘ should be dismissed in their entirety’. The tribunal is expected to last until June 24.