Thursday, September 24, 2015

Dr Eva Carneiro quits Chelsea following Mourinho outburst!


Dr Eva Carneiro has decided against a return to Chelsea Football Club, and is now expected to fight for a significant pay-off from the Premier League side.

The Times and the Daily Mail both report that the FA is investigating a complaint from a member of the public claiming Mourinho had shouted "filha da puta" - something that means "daughter of a whore" towards Carneiro during the Premier League match against Swansea City on 8th August.

New evidence regarding the incident involving Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and team doctor Eva Carneiro has been submitted to the Football Association by Women in Football (WiF).

This evidence includes video footage and a written submission from a Portuguese translator who says the coach singled out the club doctor in his outburst.

After the controversial incident with manager Jose Mourinho, Carneiro lost her place on the Chelsea bench and was not allowed to attend training sessions, matches or enter the team hotel.

Carneiro was told to report back for duty at Chelsea last Friday by the club’s hierarchy, the day before the crucial game at home to Arsenal, but decided against doing so and is understood to have now left the club.

The news has invited criticism from within the Football Association, with chair of the 'FA's Inclusion Advisory Board' (IAB) Heather Rabbatts expressing her "sadness and anger" at Dr Carneiro’s departure.


Anna Kessel, chair and co-founder of WiF, said: "We'll be extremely surprised if there is no charge at all."

Kessel also wrote in the Guardian: "One day we will look back at the story of Dr Eva Carneiro and wonder how any of this happened."

"How did a highly respected doctor have her reputation ripped to shreds despite not putting a foot wrong?"

"How did a Premier League manager lose his rag, misinterpret the facts and the laws of the game and fail to apologise? And why did no one defend her?"

"It is time now to hear from the game's enforcers, the Football Association and the Premier League. WiF urges them to step up to the plate."

"This is about medical ethics, human rights, employment rights, the integrity of the game. This is a test and we urge football not to shy away from it."

Mourinho’s heavy-handed actions have been condemned by Fifa and the medical community while Chelsea have continued to insist it is an “internal staffing matter” and have not commented throughout the case.


Mourinho had claimed that both Carneiro and Fearn could both eventually resume their duties despite his angry criticism of them – when he called them naïve and not understanding football - but, according to sources at the club, it was always expected that the doctor would leave as her position had appeared to become untenable.

Carneiro is understood to have further angered the manager when in the immediate aftermath of the incident, during the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, she took to the social media network Facebook to express her thanks for the "overwhelming support" she received.

Chelsea are unlikely to replace Carneiro (right) in the short-term with Dr Chris Hughes, who has worked with the academy players, continuing to sit on the bench. However it is understood the club is eventually going to use another doctor, David Porter, in the role once he has the necessary certificate to enter the field of play.

In a further twist first team physiotherapist Jon Fearn, who was also rebuked by Mourinho and demoted after also running onto the pitch, is expected to return to the Chelsea bench and has continued to work with the first-team players and also travelled to games.

Defending the doctor’s actions against Swansea, Rabbatts said last night: "Any other response would have been a dereliction of her duty and a breach of General Medical Council guidelines."

"In acting properly she was then subject to verbal abuse and public criticism and in effect demoted by her removal from the bench."


"Over the weekend WiF submitted evidence to the FA's investigation into Mourinho's comments as well as writing to Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive of the highest tier of association football in England, the Premier League.

Anna Kessel says of Carnerio: "Anyone who has met her is impressed by her professionalism, her serious nature, her commitment to helping others – both the patients she treats and the young women who write her streams of letters wanting to follow in her footsteps. She has worked at Chelsea for six years, as first-team doctor under four different managerial regimes. Surviving as a female medic in the football industry is hard enough; excelling as one is almost unheard of.

Dr Carneiro had already endured so much in her career, the horrific sexist abuse from opposition fans highlighted by the WiF campaign last season. It is sad that her ultimate downfall appears to be at the hands of the very club who once supported her and a game that so far has suggested it does not care to."

The expectation remains that no charge will be leveled, but if he is prosecuted Mourinho could be handed a five-match ban.


Friday, September 18, 2015

Will Dr Eva Carneiro accept Chelsea's invitation to return?


Dr Eva Carneiro, who was banned from the Chelsea bench after being criticised by manager José Mourinho, has been told to report for work at the club’s training ground today.
Carneiro has not been seen at Chelsea since the incident on 8th August, possibly through the legal advice she has taken from law firm Mishcon de Reya, but has been informed that she needs to return to duty now.

Whether Carneiro turns up at the Cobham training ground in Surrey remains to be seen – although physio Jon Fearn, who also had his duties cut, has continued to work during the intervening period with the first-team.

The Football Association has confirmed it is investigating a complaint that Chelsea manager José Mourinho used abusive language during the incident in the opening game against Swansea that saw club doctor Eva Carneiro and first-team physiotherapist Jon Fearn stripped of their matchday duties.

Fearn has not, as yet, resumed his place on the Chelsea bench but is expected to eventually do so. Whether Carneiro is able to do the same would appear to remain in doubt although there have been claims the duo will be in place for Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Arsenal.
Chelsea have previously insisted the issue is an "internal staffing matter" and say they do not intend to comment although Mourinho has publically said that Carneiro might be reinstated.

According to a report in the Independent, the Football Association received a complaint after the match on 8th August and the governing body’s compliance department are now studying video evidence.

Carneiro (right), born in Gibraltar is understood to have already taken legal advice with the possibility that Chelsea might be seeking to re-deploy her within their medical department and away from being first-team doctor. Some lawyers have suggested she may have grounds for constructive dismissal.

The Chelsea manager lost his cool towards the very end of his team’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, when Eden Hazard went down in the third minute of stoppage time and Carneiro and Fearn ran on to treat the winger and it was revealed last month that Carneiro and Fearn had been told they would not sit on the Chelsea bench after the incident with Mourinho accusing the pair of naivety and failing to "understand the game."

Under FA rule E3, players and coaches can be penalised for using "offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures," with Mourinho facing up to a five-match ban if he is found guilty.

It subsequently emerged that not only did referee Michael Oliver twice gesture the medics to come on, but that he had also checked with Hazard that he wanted to receive treatment. This led to further criticism of Mourinho from medical professionals.

Sky Sports released video footage of the moment Mourinho lost his temper with his medical staff which appears to show the Portuguese boss calling one or both of them “son of a bitch”.
According to the report, Carneiro has not returned to Chelsea’s Cobham training ground since being withdrawn from matchday duties, with Doctor Chris Hughes and physiotherapist Steven Hughes having replaced her and Fearn.

Mourinho’s treatment of Carneiro and Fearn has already been discussed by world football governing body FIFA. Another influential body, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM) has also raised the matter with the League Managers Association of which Mourinho is a member.

Chelsea play Arsenal on Saturday 19th September at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, kick-off 12:45 BST.


Will Eva be on the bench tomorrow in her capacity as Chelsea first-team doctor?


Wednesday, September 09, 2015

Statistically, the best performing players in the English Premier League so far this season!


The top ten performing English Premier League outfield players in each of their respective positions since the start of the season, ranked according to the exclusive CIES Football Observatory’s approach to the technical analysis of performance. Only footballers fielded for at least 60% of minutes are included in the rankings.
Data provider: OptaPro.

For those of you currently playing 'Fantasy Premier League Football' you may want to take note!

Season 2015/16 - Last update: 31/08/2015

Centre-Backs:

1. L. Koscielny (Arsenal) 100.0
2. A. Williams (Swansea) 78.2 (right)
3. J. Fonte (Southampton) 61.4
4. C. Smalling (Man. United) 60.0
5. E. Mangala (Man. City) 57.1
6. F. Fernández (Swansea) 53.2
7. E. Can (Liverpool) 53.1
8. J. Vertonghen (Tottenham) 48.7
9. S. Cook (Bournemouth) 47.4
10. V. Kompany (Man. City) 46.9

Full-Backs:

1. A.Kolarov (Man. City) 100.0
2. N. Monreal (Arsenal) 96.8
3. J. Amavi (Aston Villa) 86.5 (right)
4. C. Soares (Southampton) 80.5
5. S. Francis (Bournemouth) 75.9
6. J. Holebas (Watford) 71.7
7. L. Shaw (Man. United) 67.5
8. S. Coleman (Everton) 63.1
9. A. Nyom (Watford) 58.6
10. C. Daniels (Bournemouth) 57.6

Defensive Midfielders:

1. Y. Touré (Man. City) 100.0
2. F. Coquelin (Arsenal) 87.1
3. A. Ramsey (Arsenal) 75.5
4. J. Cork (Swansea) 64.1
5. J. Shelvey (Swansea) 60.6
6. J. McArthur (Crystal Palace) 59.0 (right)
7. N. Matić (Chelsea) 58.6
8. E. Capoue (Watford) 56.9
9. B. Schweinsteiger (Man. United) 51.8
10. L. Fernandinho (Man. City) 51.2

Attacking Midfielders:

1. D. Silva (Man. City) 100.0 (right)
2. E. Hazard (Chelsea) 75.0
3. J. Montero (Swansea) 73.0
4. S. Cazorla (Arsenal) 72.8
5. M. Özil (Arsenal) 71.2
6. S. Mané (Southampton) 66.0
7. R. Barkley (Everton) 62.4
8. J. Morrison (WBA) 60.5
9. W. Hoolahan (Norwich) 57.8
10. J. Mata (Man. United) 57.1

Forwards:

1. D. Tadić (Southampton) 100.0
2. A. Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) 97.9
3. R. Mahrez (Leicester) 92.7
4. C. Wilson (Bournemouth) 74.7
5. A. Koné (Everton) 65.3
6. B. Gomis (Swansea) 60.2 (right)
7. R. Sterling (Man. City) 56.4
8. M. Diouf (Stoke) 47.4
9. S. Agüero (Man. City) 46.8
10. D. Costa (Chelsea) 41.4


The Football Observatory is a research group within the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), a private foundation affiliated to the University of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. Set up in 2005 by Drs Raffaele Poli and Loïc Ravenel, it currently comprises a staff of full-time permanent researchers specialised in the statistical analysis of football.

The CIES Football Observatory has regularly been mandated to undertake original analysis by several prestigious institutions such as, but not limited to, FIFA, UEFA, European Club Association (ECA), European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), Swiss Football League (SFL), Aspire Academy, as well as top-flight European clubs in several countries.

CIES Football Observatory, Avenue DuPeyrou 1, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland, +41 (0)32 718 39 00


Tuesday, September 01, 2015

Babe of the Month - Katarina Johnson-Thompson



Katarina Mary Johnson-Thompson was born on 9th January 1993 in Woolton, Liverpool and is an English track and field athlete specialising in the heptathlon.

At the age of nine, with an audition for the Royal Ballet School lined up, Katarina reversed Billy Elliot’s cinematic route and chose sport over dance.

Her father Ricardo is Bahamian, Katarina attended St Julie's Catholic High School in Woolton and John Moores University in Liverpool, where she studied for her sports science degree. Katarina represents Liverpool Harriers and is coached by Mike Holmes. She is also an ardent fan of Liverpool FC and admits she was "devastated" when Steven Gerrard left the club.

At the 2009 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Brixen, Italy, she won the gold medal in the heptathlon.

She missed most of the 2010 athletics season suffering from patellar tendinopathy, also known as jumper's knee.

Johnson-Thompson broke Jessica Ennis' British junior record at the Multistars competition held in Desenzano del Garda, Italy in May 2012.

At the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships, held in Barcelona, Johnson-Thompson chose not to compete in the heptathlon competition to save herself for the Olympics; instead she took part in the long jump and the 100 metres hurdles, winning a gold medal in the long jump, with a leap of 6.81 metres.


Johnson-Thompson competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the women's heptathlon, alongside compatriots Jessica Ennis and Louise Hazel at the Olympic Stadium. She finished in 15th place with a score of 6267 points.

In September 2012 Johnson-Thompson was nominated for the "European Athletics Rising Star award." In October, she won the "Lillian Board Memorial Award" (for junior women) at the 2012 British Athletics Writers' Association Awards.

In the 2013 IAAF World Championships held in Moscow, Katarina Johnson-Thompson finished in 5th place in the heptathlon. After a first day which left her in 5th place, with a personal best (PB) in the 200m, she had an excellent second day with PB's in the Long Jump, Javelin and the 800m, finishing just 28 points away from bronze medallist Dafne Schippers.

In March 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships held at the Ergo Arena in Sopot, Poland, Katarina won long jump silver with a PB jump of 6.81m.

On 11th July 2014, Johnson-Thompson set a new long jump personal best of 6.92m at the Glasgow Diamond League meeting, taking her to number 2 on the British all-time list for the event. Johnson-Thompson won gold at the 2014 edition of the prestigious heptathlon Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, with a world leading personal best score of 6682.

Katarina was expected to be the GB team’s outstanding performer in track and field at the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships last summer. But her hopes of competing were ruined by a stress-fracture in her foot.

Johnson-Thompson set a new British high jump record with a height of 1.97 metres at the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield on 14 February 2015, surpassing her previous record of 1.96 metres set on 8 February 2014. Prior to Johnson-Thompson, Debbie Marti's 1.95 metre jump had held the record since 1997.

On 21st February 2015, Johnson-Thompson set a new indoor British long jump record with a distance of 6.93m at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix.

In August 2015, Katarina finished in 28th place in the heptahlon at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing after three foul jumps in the long jump meant she failed to record a score in the event, effectively ending her hopes of winning a medal. Her final jump appeared to be good at first, but officials discovered on closer inspection that she had marginally overstepped the take-off mark, and ruled it illegal after a delay of nearly five minutes. She had been lying in second place to Jessica Ennis-Hill after the first day of events. Ennis-Hill went on to win gold.


You can follow KJT on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram