In her autobiography ‘All In’, former England No 1 Earps revealed she told Wiegman she was rewarding “bad behaviour” by reintegrating Hampton into the Lionesses squad in 2023 – a decision which would eventually lead to her shock international retirement ahead of Euro 2025.
Earps says Hampton’s “behaviour behind the scenes had frequently risked derailing training sessions and team resources” during England’s triumph on home soil at Euro 2022, and when Wiegman asked her about the idea of bringing Hampton back into the fold, she said “it didn’t make me feel comfortable”.
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When Hampton was announced as England’s first-choice goalkeeper ahead of Euro 2025, the PSG goalkeeper made a shock retirement from international football just before the tournament started.
With Wiegman naming her final Lionesses squad of 2025 on Tuesday, it was the first time the head coach has spoken publicly on the Earps issue – with her press conference dominated by questions on the matter.
“We have conversations, we always have conversations with different players all the time,” said Wiegman.
“What my reality is, someone’s reality can be very different. Because how you experience things is very individual.
“What I want to do is create an environment when we speak up, where I give clarity and always communicate with players where it’s necessary.
“I make decisions to win. What I’ve said all the time, is we have two incredible goalkeepers in the goalkeeper group – and we have more good goalkeepers. And in the end, I made the decision to the one I came to. That’s what it is for me.
“What I should say, is I really, really enjoyed working with Mary. She’s retired now and we had incredible times. I always cherish that and really enjoyed that.”
Asked if – looking back – she would have done anything differently: “We are very thorough in what we do and over time we look at one year, the competition has been really, really hard. We had a very good goalkeeper unit, the two goalkeepers were competing for the No 1 spot.
“I think I would have done exactly the same thing. We kept communicating every time. We try to support everyone in the best possible way. I just can’t control how it comes across. There are always learnings, but I don’t think in the bigger picture I would have done things differently.”
Wiegman also revealed she has not spoken to Earps since her autobiography came out – but she has spoken to Hampton, as per her constant communication process with Lionesses players.
What did Earps say about Wiegman and Hampton?
After winning the Euros in 2022, Earps continued as England’s No 1 for their run to the 2023 World Cup final, but in April 2024, Wiegman made the decision to give Hampton “a second chance” and restored her to the squad for a Euro 2025 qualifying match against Sweden.
The decision did not go down well with Earps, who revealed in her tell-all autobiography, All In, that she responded with: “I don’t get it. It’s a qualifier match. And bad behaviour is being rewarded.”
She wrote: “Then came the words I’d waited over 12 months to hear: ‘I’ve decided Hannah’s the No 1 for now.’ I felt the weight of my heart sink to the floor and the relief that I had finally had clarity lift from my shoulders all at once. ‘She’s a little bit ahead of you,’ Sarina continued. “It’s nothing you’ve done or done wrong.’
“‘I expected this,’ I said. I had 30 seconds to say my piece. I told her I wasn’t surprised by what she’d just said, that it had been a long time coming, but I felt extremely disappointed, nonetheless.
“Then I said: ‘I just think you could have been more direct and honest from the jump.’ She wasn’t happy with that.
“‘No, I don’t think that’s fair. I always communicate openly. We’ve only just made this decision,’ she cut in.
“That sounded like b******** to me.
“‘Respectfully,’ I said, ‘we’re going to have to agree to disagree. You’ve made your decision. I’ve had to make one too. This will be my last camp, I’m internationally retiring.'”
The former Manchester United No 1 goes on to say that Wiegman convinced her to reverse her decision in the build-up to PSG’s league semi-final play-off in May.
“Dubiously, I told her: ‘OK, I’ll continue.’ She was pleased. Then, before we left the call she offered up, in passing: ‘Well done, I saw you won last night.’ I was glad she’d noticed, as it reinforced what she’d said. Then she said she hadn’t watched it.
“With that, I knew instantly that I’d made the wrong choice; I immediately wished I hadn’t uttered the words. I had committed to something and someone who didn’t seem committed to me; whose words, where I was concerned, still didn’t match their actions.”
Earps goes on to say, following the Champions League final in May, where she went to support her England team-mates, she called Wiegman to tell her she had changed her decision and would retire.
“‘I can’t do it,’ I said,” Earps writes. “‘Wow,’ came the reply. Her only word shook me. ‘I can’t believe it,’ she said. ‘I’m so disappointed. What made you change your mind?’
“‘I don’t think I ever really did,” I replied. I couldn’t have been more honest. I had been all along.”
Hampton would go on to save two penalties as England beat Spain to win the Euros in the summer. In September, Earps was on stage to present Hampton with the inaugural women’s Yashin trophy for her performances for both Chelsea and at the Euros.
