adminLONDON. — Jose Mourinho left the door open for Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn to return to Chelsea’s bench in the future less than a week after branding them as naive.
The Chelsea manager read a statement on the issue at the start of his Press conference yesterday in Cobham, but he refused to take questions.
He said: ‘‘First of all I want to say I have a fantastic medical department led by Dr Paco Biosca, I have a good relationship with them.
‘‘They tell me they have never been praised as much as they have done by me in the last couple of years.
‘‘Jon Fearn and Dr Carneiro will not be on the bench on Sunday but that doesn’t mean they cannot be in the future.’’
He has faced a backlash this week over his handling of team doctor Carneiro.
The fuse was lit when the Chelsea manager labelled his medical team naive after they rushed onto the pitch to treat Eden Hazard in the closing stages of their match against Swansea at Stamford Bridge.
Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn attended to Hazard, and when the Belgian got up he had to leave the field and as a result left Chelsea with nine men.
Mourinho vented his anger at the pair as they returned to the bench and then lamented them in public following the 2-2 draw on Saturday.
The Chelsea manager has since relieved Carneiro of her duties with the first team at matches, in training and in hotels and his actions have led to wide-spread criticism.
Latest footage released by Sky Sports showed Mourinho to be saying ‘‘son of a bitch’’ in Portuguese as Carneiro and Fearn walked back to the bench.
Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger has backed Carneiro by claiming the Barclays Premier League rules state clearly that only referee can decide when the medics enter the pitch.
‘‘It can be a problem inside a club,’’ said Wenger.
‘‘It’s difficult enough and if you’re not united it’s more difficult. Trust and unity inside a club is a strength. That story at Chelsea, I have not followed that and I do not have great interest in what’s going on.
‘‘Secondly, the rules are clear, when the ref give indication for the medics to come on they can come on. After that, in this situation, I don’t know. But the rules are quite clear. The referee makes the decision.’’ —Mailonline
Online Reporter