Sonia Bompastor has hit back at Mary Earps in defence of Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, after former England star Earps heaped criticism on Hampton's behaviour in her new autobiography 'All In'. Bompastor claimed Hampton is "the class one" when compared with Earps, and questioned the PSG goalkeeper's decision to criticise three-time European Championship winning manager Sarina Wiegman.
Bompastor defends Hampton and Wiegman after Earps comments
The fall-out from Earpsā comments surrounding Hampton has begun, as the Lionesses goalkeeperās club manager came swiftly to her defence after Earpsā controversial statements on Hamptonās behaviour during Euro 2022 and subsequent return to the side.
The 32-year-old claimed Hamptonās behaviour within the camp was ādestructiveā and took āenergy and timeā away from the team and coaches as Wiegmanās side went on their way to securing a first of what is now two consecutive Euros titles.
Bompastorās allegiances were clear as she spoke on Earpsā comments, which she branded as ānot acceptableā towards either of Hampton or Wiegman.
AdvertisementGetty Images'Hannah is the class one' – Bompastor
Bompastor said: "I think the comments I read from Mary Earps were not acceptable. To not show respect to your team-mate or manager… I would say we are talking about Hannah, but I would also raise my voice for Sarina.Ā
āI think 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.
"I think one of them is class, and Hannah is the class one."
Earps' side of the story as true feelings revealed
In an extract from her book published in The Guardian, Earps said: "The only negative that each group reported back on was that behaviour, which was overwhelmingly considered disruptive and unreliable, with a risk of being destructive, taking energy and time from coaches who needed to work with the rest of the team on set-pieces, mentality and of course goalkeeping sessions.Ā
"It affected us all in a domino effect to an extent that was extremely unusual in a successful elite team environment. It also completely contradicted my professional values, which included preserving everything I had, mentally and physically, for performance and for a goalkeeper union where everyone, whatever their role, had the space and support to be great at their job."
Hampton returned to Lionesses set-up, leading to Earps' retirement
Earps revealed that she had been consulted about a possible return to the squad for Hampton in 2023, something she said she was not comfortable with.
āI was happy toĀ be part of those conversations and no matter whether you wereĀ among the more experienced or junior players in her squad, feeling like you had a say was a partĀ of our success.
āāIt doesnāt make me feel comfortable,ā I said in response toĀ the idea of a return, not needingĀ to remind her of the disharmony that the squad had feltĀ before. I felt protective of the good energy we now had in goalkeeper training and the morale of the wider team.
But in 2024, this time Hampton was reinstated by Wiegman and Earps was given no say in the matter.
Speaking to Wiegman, Earps said: "I donāt get it. Itās a qualifier match. And bad behaviour is being rewarded."
Earps continued: "Now this felt unjust. My eyes welled with tears. It was a choice that went against my core values. I couldnāt get my head around it because when my values were compromised, the strain always felt heavy enough to keep me up at night. When this kind of a decision compromised my football, I was sleepless. The affinity I had for Sarina and this job ā one Iād given every last cell of myself to ā was being destroyed, the trust and respect evaporating.
She added: "I wasnāt entitled to keep my place if Sarina didnāt want me to but I was entitled to decide what happened next. I could do what other people do if theyāre no longer enjoying their job: I could leave, I could retire."
