Bompastor backs ‘class’ Hampton after Earps comments

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has shown “class” in response to Mary Earps’ comments about her.

She also criticised a lack of respect for England manager Sarina Wiegman, after Earps questioned her decision to make Hampton her number one at Euro 2025.

Former England keeper Earps claimed she told Wiegman she was rewarding “bad behaviour” by recalling Hampton to the squad, having previously been dropped for being “disruptive and unreliable”.

Earps, 32, is releasing her autobiography next week and extracts have been published by the Guardian.

“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,” said Bompastor, speaking after Chelsea’s 2-0 Women’s Super League win over London City Lionesses.

“We are talking about Hannah, but also I want to raise my voice for Sarina [Wiegman]. When you use some words about someone who won the Euros three times in a row, you should probably think about it before you speak.

“If you look at what Hannah said in her 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 was left out of England squads after Euro 2022, reportedly because of a poor attitude.

Wiegman said it was for “something personal” but later recalled Hampton, who saved two spot-kicks in their penalty shootout triumph over Spain in the Euro 2025 final.

The 24-year-old was also named the best female goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or awards in September.

Earps played a key role in England’s victory at Euro 2022 and saved Jenni Hermoso’s penalty in their World Cup final defeat by Spain a year later.

After her shock international retirement in June, Hampton said Earps had “changed” goalkeeping in the women’s game.

“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,” Hampton said at the time.

Hampton started Chelsea’s win over London City Lionesses on Saturday, the morning after the first extracts of Earps’ book was released, and kept her third clean sheet in a row.

“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,” said Bompastor.

“We have a really good relationship together and I want to show her my support in this situation. 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.”

Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women’s Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women’s Super League and beyond on the Women’s Football Weekly feed