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Eva Carneiro tribunal: Doctor to fight Chelsea another day after failing to reach settlement

Tribunal has fixed an udisclosed date for next hearing

Tom Sheen
Thursday 07 January 2016 11:23 GMT
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Eva Carneiro will continue her legal battle against former employer Chelsea Football club after failing to reach a settlement at her first hearing.

The former team doctor is claiming constructive dismissal after she was dropped from first-team duties at the start of the season by then-manager Jose Mourinho, against whom she has a separate legal action, who was infuriated when she entered the pitch to treat Eden Hazard late in the game against Swansea City.

Carneiro, along with team physio Jon Fearn, were banned from travelling with the team and eventually sacked.

The pair were branded "impulsive and naive" by Mourinho after they ran on the pitch to treat the Belgian, leaving the Blues with nine men on the field in injury time of the 2-2 draw on the opening day of the season.

​Carneiro, 42, was joined by husband Jason De Carteret at London South Employment Tribunal in Croydon on Wednesday afternoon for a private preliminary hearing before an employment judge.

After a three-hour hearing no settlement had been reached bit a date had been fixed for the next hearing, said Mary O'Rourke QC, representing Carneiro.

The Gibraltan made no comment as she left.

A date for the full tribunal is expected for some time in June but a court spokesman refused to reveal a date for the next hearing. “It was a private hearing and what happened in the hearing is a private matter,” the spokesman said.

The hearing was expected to fix the timetable for the case, and deal with witness statements and disclosure of documents including texts and emails by each side, as well as any legal procedural disputes that exist between the two parties. Chelsea filed their defence in the case last month.

Carneiro's separate personal legal action against Mourinho is for alleged victimisation and discrimination.

Carneiro has a separate legal action against Jose Mourinho

Mourinho, sacked by Chelsea in December, was cleared of using discriminatory language towards Carneiro following an investigation by the Football Association (FA).

Afterwards, Carneiro and the FA’s independent board member Dame Heather Rabbatts criticised the governing body for not interviewing the doctor as part of its investigation.

Carneiro has also had backing from Fifa’s medical chairman Michel D’Hooghe, who contacted the doctor to offer his support and that of the world governing body. He has backed Carneiro’s insistence that she was simply doing her job.

Additional reporting from PA

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