Former Chelsea team doctor Eva Carneiro has launched a new legal claim against manager Jose Mourinho.
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As his team continues to struggle on the pitch -- their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at the weekend was their sixth in the Premier League this season as the reigning champs languish just above the drop zone -- Mourinho now faces a possible court battle as Carneiro attempts to sue him after he publicly criticized the doctor and then demoted her from first-team duties following an incident in the opening game of the season against Swansea City.
Carneiro has since parted company with Chelsea and has already launched a legal claim against the club. This new claim of constructive dismissal is against both the club and Mourinho as an individual.
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According to the Press Association, legal papers will be served to Mourinho this week as part of the separate but connected claim. If an out of court settlement isn’t reached, the case could go to court as under UK employment laws, Carneiro can argue that Mourinho could be liable for damages if any type of victimization of discrimination is proven.
Carneiro is claiming that Mourinho was key in having her dropped from the bench and demoting her, which was his decision and led to public outrage as Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn were both scolded by the under-fire Chelsea boss. The incident all of this stemmed from was when Carneiro and Fearn rushed onto the field late in Chelsea’s opening day 2-2 draw against Swansea City to treat Eden Hazard as the player then had to leave the pitch momentarily, which left the Blues with only nine-men for the closing stages following a red card earlier dished out to Thibaut Courtois.