Medics must be trusted, says Eva Carneiro

The doctor in a legal battle with Chelsea over being demoted after rushing onto the field to treat a player has broken her public silence, in a speech stressing the importance of trusting medics.

After being undermined by then-manager Jose Mourinho, Eva Carneiro left Chelsea and she is pursuing a constructive dismissal case which is set to be heard by a public tribunal in June.

Addressing a football medical conference in London, Carneiro did not mention last August’s incident directly but talked generally about her responsibilities as a club doctor with “return to play” the theme.

“Trust in the medical team is absolutely essential,” Carneiro said. “If you get a player to trust you enough to guide the progression, he is much more likely to be able progress well and not have to rely on his innate perception of what he thinks is going on. If you are able to inform the right decision with confidence, he will trust you have his best interests at heart.”

Carneiro is also suing Mourinho individually after the combative coach accused his medical staff last August of being “naive” for taking to the field to treat Eden Hazard with Chelsea already down to 10 men in the Premier League season-opener against Swansea.

“The relationship with management absolutely affects how ready (players) feel to take on a risk,” Carneiro said.

In a season when the confidence of Chelsea players was shattered, Carneiro said “assessing psychological readiness to play is a key skill to any doctor but particularly in a team environment”.