Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has come to the defense of her goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton, while criticizing Mary Earps for what she perceives as a lack of respect towards Hampton and former England coach Sarina Wiegman.
In her upcoming autobiography “All In,” which has been previewed by The Guardian, 32-year-old Earps alleges that Hampton’s conduct during England’s Euro 2022 campaign was widely viewed as disruptive and unreliable, with potential to cause harm.
Bompastor, who has led Chelsea since May last year, stood by the 24-year-old goalkeeper following the team’s 2-0 victory against the London City Lionesses on Saturday.
“This is about Hannah,” Bompastor emphasized, “but I also want to speak up for Sarina Wiegman. When discussing someone who has won the Euros three times consecutively, you should really consider your words beforehand.”
She continued, “If you compare what Hannah has previously said about Mary Earps to what Mary is saying now, it’s clear who shows class. Hannah is the one demonstrating class.”
Earps claims in her forthcoming autobiography , which has been serialised in the Guardian, that Hampton’s behaviour during England’s Euro 2022 campaign was ‘disruptive and unreliable’
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has launched a staunch defence of her goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, criticising Mary Earps’ ‘lack of respect’ for her former England teammate
Bompastor further commended Hampton’s resilience and character, highlighting her ability to secure a third consecutive clean sheet just after excerpts from Earps’ book were made public.
‘It’s tough because Hannah is an athlete but also a person. I just want to say that since I joined Chelsea she has grown so much and is such a professional athlete and also a good person,’ she said.
‘Probably what she was able to achieve today showed how much she is class and professional. I think she is the best goalkeeper in the world in many ways, as an athlete and also mentally. We just want to show her the respect and love.
‘She knows she can trust me and come and talk to me any time she wants. But for now, she’s fine.’
Earps played a key role in the Lionesses victory at Euro 2022 – as well as saving Jenni Hermoso’s penalty in their World Cup final defeat by Spain a year later.
She reveals in her autobiography All In, which has been serialised in the Guardian, that Hampton was dropped from the squad following their triumph in 2022 due to ‘bad behaviour’. These claims were also reported at the time by the Guardian. Wiegman said at the time she had been left out for ‘something personal’.
Hampton, 21 at the time, was reintegrated into the squad a few months later, with Wiegman insisting that she ‘deserves a second chance’.
Earps did not detail Hampton’s behaviour but told the Guardian: ‘We had a different idea of what being a teammate looked like … the goalkeeper dynamic was professional throughout and was difficult sometimes.’
The England boss began to rotate the two goalkeepers in 2024 before telling Earps in April 2025 that she was no longer her first-choice goalkeeper ahead of the Euros
Wiegman began to rotate the two goalkeepers in 2024 before telling Earps in April 2025 that she was no longer her first-choice goalkeeper ahead of the Euros.
Earps then retired five weeks before the Lionesses set off for Switzerland for their European Championship title defence, where Hampton played a starring role – including saving two penalties in the final against Spain.
Meanwhile, Hampton previously praised Earps following her shock retirement in June: ‘I think there’s been quite a bit of scrutiny that she probably doesn’t deserve, with everything that she’s achieved in the game, as well as putting women’s goalkeeping on the map for the younger generation.
‘Goalkeeping was never really a thing, and Mary has changed that,’ she said.
Bompastor also said that Chelsea will ‘find solutions’ to support Hampton and that she has the full backing of the club.
