Emily KeoghNov 1, 2025, 12:01 PM ET
- Based in London, Emily Keogh is ESPN’s women’s soccer correspondent, specializing in the WSL and UWCL
Mary Earps shed light on her rocky relationship with Hannah Hampton in her upcoming autobiography. Getty
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor slammed Mary Earps over a lack of respect for England manager Sarina Wiegman and showed unwavering support for “class” goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
Former England goalkeeper Earps launched a scathing attack on Wiegman for rewarding “bad behaviour” when rival shot-stopper Hampton was brought back into the England side and eventually made No.1.
The former Manchester United and current Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper called Weigman’s handling of the situation “bull—-” in an explosive autobiography, serialised by the Guardian.
The Chelsea manager vehemently backed her goalkeeper and issued a strong statement following The Blues’ 2-0 win over London City Lionesses insisting that Earps should “think about it before you speak.”
“I think Hannah is fine but of course it’s tough,” Bompastor said. “It’s tough because Hannah is an athlete but also a person. That’s never nice to hear these comments.
“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. We have a really good relationship together and I want to show her my support in this situation,” she added.
Bompastor admitted that she didn’t think Hampton wanted to speak much about the situation ahead of the game but stated that Hampton “knows she can trust me and come and talk to me any time she wants.”
Earps also said Hampton’s “behaviour behind the scenes had frequently risked derailing training sessions and team resources” during England’s triumph at Euro 2022, but did not give any details.
“I would also like to say it’s more about respect,” Bompastor continued.
“With what I read in terms of the comments coming from Mary Earps, it’s not acceptable to not show respect to your team mates or managers. I would say, we are talking about Hannah, but also I want to raise my voice for Sarina [Wiegman].
“When you use some words saying something about someone who won the Euros three times in a row, you should probably think about it before you speak. It is about respect. Hannah has been fine with us and all the club, myself, the staff and the players are all behind her.”
Sonia Bompastor came to the support of goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Getty
Despite the comments made by Earps on Friday evening and the looming official release of the book, Bompastor said that Hampton’s near-perfect performance against London City reflects the type of player and person she is.
“What she was able to achieve today showed how much she is class and professional. It’s always tough for someone to have to read these comments. The fact she was even able to play and start the game and perform shows how good she is. I think she is the best goalkeeper in the world in many ways as an athlete and also mentally,” she said.
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“If you look at what Hannah said in the previous comments about Mary Earps then what Mary is saying about her now, one of them is class and Hannah is the class one.”
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 insisted that Chelsea will “find solutions” to support Hampton and that she has the full backing of the club.
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