Jose Mourinho confirms exclusion of Chelsea's medical staff from team bench

Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn will be absent during the team's match Sunday in the aftermath of last week's incident which saw manager Jose Mourinho unleash a verbal tirade towards the pair.

Mourinho confirmed their exclusion, but hinted that the decision is not permanent and that the door is open for them to resume their roles on the bench in the future.

The Portuguese boss did not answer questions from the media during his press conference ahead of Chelsea's clash with Manchester City. Instead, he read a statement regarding the matter after a week of scrutiny from the media:

Mourinho then addressed concerns about whether the controversy has affected the team's preparations, to which Mourinho brushed aside any concerns over his team's preparations after just one match played.

"If someone thinks a disagreement between staff could have an effect on preparations ... somebody who doesn't have a clue about football matches. We are speaking about 38 matches, it is an eternity, a marathon that started last week," he told reporters.

"I cannot say it's not crucial, I cannot say it's not very, very, very important. It's title contenders so three points are important but I cannot say that a win will mean anything significant for the winner or the loser."

Mourinho screamed at the pair during Chelsea's opening-day draw against Swansea City when Carneiro and Fearn ran onto the pitch to treat Eden Hazard late in the game.

Their entry meant that Hazard would be forced to leave the field, leaving Chelsea down to nine men following Thibaut Courtois' red card earlier in the game.

The Chelsea manager was visibly upset at the pair and was seen screaming at both members of the medical staff upon their return, and accused them after the match of not understand the game.