England manager Sarina Wiegman responds to Mary Earps’ bombshell autobiography by saying she “picks the team to win”. And she wouldn’t have changed the way she handled the Earps and Hannah Hampton’s situation.
In his autobiography ‘All In’, the former England No.1 told Wiegman he would make amends for Hampton’s “bad behavior” by reintegrating him into the Lionesses squad in 2023. This decision would ultimately lead to a shock international retirement ahead of Euro 2025.
The Earps said Hampton’s “behind-the-scenes behavior frequently risked derailing training sessions and team resources” during England’s home stadium win at Euro 2022. When Wiegman was asked about the idea of bringing Hampton back into the fold, she said, “It didn’t make me comfortable.”
With Hampton announced as England’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Euro 2025, the PSG goalkeeper shockingly retired from the national team just before the tournament began.
With Wiegman naming the final 2025 Lionesses squad on Tuesday, it marked the first time a coach has spoken publicly on an Earps issue. Her press conference was filled with questions about the issue.
Earps retired from the England national team just before Euro 2025, which Lioness won.
“We talk, we talk to other players all the time,” Wiegman said.
“My reality may be very different from someone else’s because the way you experience things is very individual.
“What I want to do is provide clarity when we speak and create an environment where we can always communicate with players when necessary.
“I make decisions to win. What I’ve always said is that there are two amazing goalkeepers in the goalkeeping group and there are better goalkeepers. And in the end, I made the decision to go where I chose. That’s what it is for me.”
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The Athletic’s Megan Feringa explains why former England goalkeeper Mary Earps decided to reveal her thoughts on former teammate Hannah Hampton.
“All I have to say is that I really enjoyed working with Mary. She is now retired and we had an amazing time. I will always cherish it and it was a great pleasure.”
Asked if looking back she would have done anything differently, she said: “We were very thorough in what we did and if you look at the year over time, the competition was really, really tough. We had a very good goalkeeping unit and the two goalkeepers were competing for the top spot.”
“I think I would have done the same thing. We’ve stayed in communication every time. We try to support everyone in the best way possible. You can’t control how it turns out. There’s always something to learn, but I don’t think I would have done anything differently in the bigger picture.”
Wiegman also revealed that he has not spoken to the Earps since his autobiography came out. However, she did speak to Hampton following an ongoing process of communication with Lionesses players.
What did the Earps say about Wiegman and Hampton?
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Goalkeeper Mary Earps talks about the pain she experienced retiring from the Lionesses and why she made that decision.
After winning the 2022 Euros, the Earps went on to establish themselves as England’s number one contender for the 2023 World Cup finals, but in April 2024, Wiegman decided to give Hampton a “second chance” and reinstated her in the squad for the Euro 2025 qualifying match against Sweden.
In her autobiography All In, the Earps’ decision did not go down well, to which she responded, “I don’t understand. It’s a qualifying match. And bad behavior is being rewarded.”
She wrote: “Then came the words I’d been waiting for for over 12 months: ‘I’ve decided Hannah is number one for now.’ I felt the weight of my heart sink to the floor, and at the same time felt relief that clarity was finally lifted from my shoulders. ‘She’s a little ahead of you,’ Sarina continued. ‘You didn’t do anything, you didn’t do anything wrong.’
“I said, ‘I expected this.’ I had 30 seconds to make my statement. I told her I wasn’t surprised by what she had just said, that it had taken a long time, but very disappointed nonetheless.
“Then I said, ‘I think you could have been more direct and honest from the jump.’ She wasn’t happy with it.
The Earps were booed when they returned to England with PSG to face Man Utd in the Champions League.
“‘No, I don’t think that’s fair. I always communicate openly. We just made this decision,'” she interjected.
“That sounded like an asshole to me.
“‘Respectfully, we must agree to disagree. You made a decision. I had to make a decision. This will be my last camp. I am retiring internationally.'”
The former Manchester United No.1 went on to say that Wiegman convinced him to reverse his decision in the build-up to PSG’s league semi-final play-off run in May.
“With some skepticism, I said to her, ‘Okay, I’ll continue.’ She was happy, and before we ended the call, she said, ‘Good job. I saw you won last night.’ I was glad she noticed. Because it supported what she said. Then she said she had never seen it.
“From that, I knew right away that I had made a bad choice. I immediately wish I hadn’t said those words. I was committed to someone who didn’t seem committed to me, and that person’s words still didn’t match their actions.”
The Earps called Wiegman after he went to support his England team-mates following the Champions League final in May and told him he had changed his decision and was retiring.
“I said, ‘I can’t do it,’” Earps wrote. “‘Wow,’ came the reply. Her only words shook me. ‘I can’t believe it,’ she said. ‘I’m so disappointed. What made you change your mind?’
“‘I don’t think it’s ever really happened.” I answered. I couldn’t be more honest. I’ve been there all along.”
Hampton saved two penalties as England beat Spain to win the Euros in the summer. In September, the Earps took the stage to present Hampton with their first Women’s Yashin Trophy for her performance at the Euros against Chelsea.
