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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 8 JUNE 2016 20 Sport SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL Chelsea and Mourinho settle with former doctor CHELSEA and former manager Jose Mourinho have reached an undisclosed settlement with for- mer team doctor Eva Carneiro at an employment tribunal in Lon- don, the Premier League club said yesterday. Carneiro had claimed con- structive dismissal by the Pre- mier League club and sexual dis- crimination by Mourinho who appeared at the tribunal and sat in the front row. Terms of the settlement re- mained confidential. Carneiro rejected an earlier offer of 1.2 million pounds. In a statement Chelsea said the club "regretted the circumstanc- es" that led to Carneiro taking legal action and issued an unre- served apology. Carneiro worked for Chelsea for six years until she left in September after clashing with Mourinho in the closing minutes of their opening Premier League match of the season against Swansea City at Stamford Bridge in August. The 42-year-old ran on to the pitch with physio Jon Fearn after being called on by referee Mi- chael Oliver to treat winger Eden Hazard. After the game an angry Mour- inho described the pair as "im- pulsive and naive" because it meant Chelsea being reduced to nine men near the end of the game after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had been sent off. Carneiro, who claims she was subjected to sexist comments from colleagues, was relieved of her match-day duties soon after- wards. Chelsea said she had acted properly. "We wish to place on record that in running onto the pitch Dr Carneiro was following both the rules of the game and fulfilling her responsibility to the players as a doctor, putting their safety first," the club said. "Dr Carneiro has always put the interests of the club's play- ers first. Dr Carneiro is a high- ly competent and professional sports doctor," Chelsea added. "She was a valued member of the club's medical team and we wish her every success in her fu- ture career." Following the incident in the Swansea match the Football As- sociation conducted an investi- gation after a member of the pub- lic complained about Mourinho's language towards Carneiro. The FA cleared Mourinho of making discriminatory com- ments. Mourinho, who won the Pre- mier league three times in two spells as Chelsea manager, was fired by the club in December after a poor start to the season. He was appointed Manchester United manager last week. Caneiro, 42, issued a statement saying she was relieved the long- running saga had come to an end. "It has been an extremely dif- ficult and distressing time for me and my family and I now look forward to moving forward with my life," she said. "My priority has always been the health and safety of the play- ers and fulfilling my duty of care as a doctor. In running onto the pitch to treat a player, who re- quested medical attention, I was following the rules of the game and fulfilling my medical re- sponsibilities," Carneiro added. "I would like to thank everyone who has supported me including my husband, family and friends and members of the football community." Former Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro arrives at the Croydon Employment Tribunal in London Zlatan Ibrahimovic tight-lipped on Man Utd move ZLATAN Ibrahimovic on Tuesday refused to confirm whether or not he is going to join Manchester Unit- ed. The 34-year-old Sweden striker, who has decided to leave Paris St Germain with his contract reaching an end this summer, has been linked with United for some time and it was reported last Friday that the Old Trafford club were close to signing him. That came after he had signalled at a press conference in Sweden on May 26 that a move to United could be on the cards. On Tuesday during a Q&A session, streamed live on Facebook, at a Paris launch event for his new sportswear range A-Z, Ibrahimovic was asked directly by an audience member if he could confirm he was going to be in Manchester next season. He replied: "There is no confirma- tion. There is no saying yes. So you will have to have patience. "You are a journalist, no? I want you to keep wondering where I will go, and keep making stories, because I enjoy it while the stories go out. "When I feel tired (of that), I will let you know where my next destina- tion is." Earlier, when asked by someone else in the audience what his club would be next term, Ibrahimovic said: "My future is A-Z. Follow A-Z and you will see my future. "And - the future is A-Z." The inquisitor followed up by sim- ply saying "and Manchester United?" Ibrahimovic replied: "They will be wearing A-Z in Manchester also. "Don't worry - it is coming there." In the press conference last month, although not mentioning United specifically, Ibrahimovic revealed he had had "concrete offers" from the Premier League. He also spoke of his admiration for and "great relationship" with his for- mer boss Jose Mourinho, who was announced as Red Devils manager the next day. The two men worked together at Inter Milan in 2008-09. Zlatan Ibrahimovic would not confirm any news about Man United