MOURINHO NOW ACCUSED OF SEXIST RANT

EXCLUSIVE

JOSE MOURINHO is accused of calling former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro a ‘daughter of a whore’ in a complaint being investigated by the FA. Chelsea’s manager has strenuously denied to club officials that he said ‘filha da puta’ in an incident captured by Sky television cameras last month, insisting he said ‘filho da puta’, which in Portuguese would mean ‘son of a bitch’. But a member of the public has filed a complaint based on the expertise of a ‘native Portuguese speaker’ that claims Mourinho directed the feminine version of the insult, which is far more derogatory, at Gibraltar-born Carneiro. When Sky first released footage of the incident, the allegation that Mourinho said ‘filha’ rather than ‘filho’ was put to Chelsea who, having spoken to the manager, issued a strong denial. Under the FA rule E3, players and coaches can be punished for using ‘offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures’. With an aggravated breach, in this case possibly with reference to gender, a five-match ban is the minimum sanction. ‘We understand that the manager allegedly calls Eva “filha da puta” at pitchside,’ says the complaint. ‘The abuse is allegedly directed to her because “filha” is feminine and singular in Portuguese and to be directed at a man or at a group of people would have to be “filho” or “filhos”. ‘Additionally it could be considered

that the offensive comment was aimed at the club doctor specifically as she speaks Portuguese. By all accounts, the equivalent to this expression in English would be “son of a b***h” in the masculine, but “daughter of a whore” in the feminine. ‘We have been advised by a native Portuguese speaker that when directed to a man, it is usually taken to mean that he is a person without scruples. ‘However, in Portugal a woman would take this as being compared to a prostitute or being the daughter of one. ‘Therefore it is considered an extremely offensive insult to be directed to a woman.’ The incident occurred during Chelsea’s Barclays Premier League encounter with Swansea City last month, with Mourinho clearly furious that Carneiro and team physiotherapist Jon Fearn had run on to the pitch — at the request of referee Michael Oliver — to treat Eden Hazard. Mourinho not only exploded with rage at the time but criticised Carneiro (left) afterwards, accusing her of not understanding the game. By the following day, she had been relieved of her first-team duties. While Carneiro has received the full support of the medical profession, amid widespread criticism of Mourinho, she has not been seen at the club’s training ground since. While FA chief executive Martin Glenn appeared to support Carneiro when he said that the medical staff’s priority was ‘to the players, not the manager’, there is concern in football circles that the FA have been slow to respond to this case. The game took place on August 8 with the complaint — prompted by a lack of action by the FA — following on September 8. That was 11 days ago and still no decision on whether Mourinho should be charged has been taken.