Football Association board member Heather Rabbatts has slammed Chelsea for their treatment of club doctor Eva Carneiro, who left the club on Tuesday.
Rabbatts had the following to say in a statement, as reported by The Guardian: “News of Dr Eva Carneiro’s departure from Chelsea FC makes me feel sadness and anger.?
“Eva was one of the few very senior women in the game, a highly respected doctor who has acted with professional integrity in difficult circumstances and whose skills have been highly praised by her colleagues, the club and governing bodies.
“On August 8, Eva fulfilled her duty as the senior medic and responded to the referee to enter the field of play to treat a player.? Any other response would have been a dereliction of her duty and a breach of GMC [General Medical Council] guidelines as confirmed recently by the organisation of Premier League doctors.
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“In acting properly she was then subject to verbal abuse and public criticism and in effect demoted by her removal from the bench.
“Her departure raises a serious question on how players are safeguarded if their medical support is compromised. In addition, as Chair of the Inclusion Advisory Board, I have a responsibility to support women in the game and Eva has been a role model for many girls and women who aspire to work in football. Her treatment sends all the wrong messages.
“The footage of the abuse she has endured in silence from the stands during her career is something we should all be ashamed of. Being passionate about the game is also about standing up against abusive chanting, bullying and insults to a fellow professional.”
Having seen her position with the Stamford Bridge giants downgraded, Carneiro has opted to leave Chelsea, despite the club being understood to keep her on board [via BBC Sport].
The Gibralatar-born medic’s departure from the club comes in light of Jose Mourinho’s criticism of Carneiro during and following the club’s Premier League opener against Swansea.
The doctor and her colleague Jon Fearn were slammed by Mourinho following their decision to enter the field of play and tread Eden Hazard.
The decision meant that Chelsea—who were already down to ten men following the dismissal of Thibaut Courtois—were reduced to nine men, putting them under greater pressure.
Mourinho proceeded to describe his medical staff as ‘naïve’ before reducing Carneiro’s role at the club.
Subsequently, she has opted to leave Chelsea, with the BBC indicating that she is considering her legal position in light of a complaint that the Portuguese manager used sexist or abusive language towards her.
Tuesday was a bad day for the Blues.
Beyond the resurfacing of the unhappy business with Carneiro, they also learned that striker Diego Costa has been banned for three games following his violent antics during the Premier League victory over Arsenal on Saturday [via the football association’s official website].