Mary Earps spoke about the tension she experienced within the Lionesses team before retiring from international football earlier this summer
Former England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps has claimed that rival keeper Hannah Hampton protested “bad behavior being rewarded” when she was recalled to the England squad.
In his new autobiography All In, published exclusively by the Guardian, Arps claims Hampton’s actions behind the scenes during England’s Euro 2022 victory often disrupted training sessions and threatened to strain team resources.
Asked to elaborate on what the destructive behavior was, Earps said, “I don’t want to go into detail because it’s not my place, but… she’s a very good goalkeeper and I was trying to draw a line under all that. I messaged her privately and said, ‘Listen, there’s no bad blood in there.'”
read more: Lionesses hero Michel Agyemang suffers injury nightmare, statement confirms worst fearsread more: Mary Arps “postpones farewell at Wembley” after dramatic retirement before winning Euros
According to reports, Hampton has been removed from the England squad in October 2022 due to his behavior and attitude at team camp. When asked about the subsequent decision, manager Sarina Wigman avoided details, saying, “She has personal things to do, so I don’t want to comment.”
The Chelsea shot-stopper later spoke about the impact the report had on her and admitted she wanted to quit football. “It was hard to find the fight within myself to prove people wrong, but I managed to do it,” she told ELLE in June.
“I had friends and family around me at the time who guided me in the right direction and pushed me forward. It worked out well. I have a lot to thank them for.”
Hampton, who also played for Aston Villa and Birmingham City, was recalled to the England squad in 2023, but Arps revealed in his book that Wiegman consulted him before making the decision.
Hampton played a few games in April 2024, but Wigman revealed he was planning on starting her in the Euro qualifiers. “I don’t understand,” Arps reportedly told Wigman.
“This is a qualifying match, and bad behavior pays.”
A year later, Hampton became Wiegmann’s first-choice goalkeeper, which prompted Arps to dramatically retire from international football ahead of this year’s Euros in Switzerland. The Lionesses retained the trophy, with Hampton playing a key role in their success.
In a biography due to be published next week, the former Lioness opens up about the criticism she received from her coach as a young player and the mental breakdown she endured during lockdown. Arps admits to binge drinking vodka, “scraping up biscuits instead of meals”.
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