A
leading lawyer has claimed Chelsea club doctor Eva Carneiro should be
allowed to return to work.
Carneiro has yet to resume her role as first-team doctor after being heavily
criticised by manager Jose Mourinho after she and head physio Jon Fearn
treated an injured Eden Hazard on the field during the 2-2 draw with Swansea
at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are refusing to comment on the situation in which Carneiro and Fearn
were described as "impulsive and naive" by an infuriated Mourinho.
Carneiro has missed the subsequent matches with Manchester City, West
Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace and remains in discussions with her
lawyers as she plans her next move.
FIFA is set to discuss the matter on Friday, but it remains unclear what
jurisdiction it can have on the situation.
Mary O'Rouke QC of the Football Medical Association insists the 41-year-old
Gibraltarian has "done nothing wrong" and should be able to return to her
role at Chelsea, if she still wants to resume her duties at the club.
"I personally believe, as a football supporter and as someone who supports
medics in sport, the best outcome in this case would be for her and John
Fearn to be back on the bench sending the message out to the football world
they did nothing wrong," she said.
"I think you will find FIFA on Friday saying the same thing that they did
nothing wrong because their duty was to the player as their patient, the
referee, the FA and actually their job in the club is to look after the
players not to run the team and not to be tactically aware.
"Much though one understands the passion of the manager or coach you [as a
medical professional] have to prioritise the player because, apart from
anything else, if a player sues he doesn't sue the manager he sues the
doctor, physio or the club.
"No one wants to hang anyone out to dry here. If you start making someone do
public apologies or losing face that can impact on a future working
relationship and surely what Chelsea and other football medics would want
would be to patch it up."
O'Rourke, who insists Carneiro taking legal instruction does not mean she
will be suing Chelsea in the future, added: "You don't just engage a lawyer
to go to court, you engage them to give you your legal rights whether it be
to return to work or negotiate a new deal or contract.
"You put yourself into their position. They must be in their dream jobs so
would you want to lose that job?"
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