Carneiro was quick to post a rare update on her Facebook page yesterday, thanking fans for their support in the wake of comments made by Mourinho that suggested she and her staff didn’t “understand the game”.
I would like to thank the general public for their overwhelming support. Really very much appreciated. Posted by Eva Carneiro on Sunday, 9 August 2015
“I wasn't happy with my medical staff because even if you are a medical doctor or secretary on the bench, you have to understand the game,” the Blues boss fumed after seeing Carneiro rush to the aid of Eden Hazard in the final stages of the match as an under-manned Chelsea fought to hold on for a point.
“If you go to the pitch to assist a player, then you must be sure that a player has a serious problem. I was sure that Eden didn't have a serious problem. He had a knock and was very tired.
“My medical department left me with eight fit outfield players in a counter attack after a set piece and we were worried we didn't have enough players left.”
But Carneiro is certainly not the type of woman to take any nonsense from Mourinho or any other man, after stating at a medical conference last year the world needs more “asse-kicking” women.
While delivering a lecture for the Sweden FA in 2014, Carneiro, who is now in her fifth season with the defending Premier League champion, admitted she was frustrated by the portrayal of female medical professionals in TV shows.
“Women want to be leaders. We put them off as we go along,” she said. “In every programme I’ve ever seen, the female is either hyper-sexualised – she gets off with Tom Cruise and it’s all happy endings – or she’s not present, or she’s lesbian. This is what young girls grew up with as a perception of what a female doctor was.
This needs to change. They need to be ass-kicking women that are not behaving like men, but are doing a really good job and can save the day – not getting off with Tom Cruise.”
Having previously worked in an emergency department, Carneiro also said she was more than able to cope with the pressure of life in the Premier League, even if it was under the colourful character of Mourinho.
“That was like life and death and that’s helped me to deal with the pressure,” she said. “If you don’t feel the pressure, you’re not doing your job properly.”
No doubt Carneiro was feeling a bit of pressure at the weekend, but her post to Facebook suggests she is confident enough to deal with anything Mourinho might throw at her in future, and put him right back in his place.
