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Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps claims she told Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman she was rewarding "bad behaviour" when Hannah Hampton was recalled to the squad after previously being dropped for being "disruptive and unreliable".
The 32-year-old Earps helped the side win the Women's Euros in 2022, with Hampton an unused substitute in the tournament.
Hampton, 21 at the time, was then left out of subsequent squads, reportedly because of a poor attitude, although Wiegman said it was for "something personal that I would not like to comment on".
The England boss picked her again in early 2023 - eventually leading to Hampton becoming first choice for Euro 2025 in Switzerland, where the Lionesses retained their title with the Chelsea keeper playing a crucial role.
But Earps, writing in her autobiography All In, which is out next week and extracts of which have been published in the Guardian,, external said Hampton's recall did not make her "feel comfortable" after the "disharmony the squad had felt before".
"I felt protective of the good energy we now had in goalkeeper training and the morale of the wider team," she explained. "Bad behaviour is being rewarded."
Earps remained England's number one for the 2023 Women's World Cup where she was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament, saving a penalty in the final as her side were beaten 1-0 by Spain.
However, Hampton began to get more opportunities in 2024 and, when handed the starting spot, Earps admitted: "This felt unjust. My eyes welled with tears.
"It was a choice that went against my core values. The affinity I had for Sarina and this job - one I'd given every last cell of myself to - was being destroyed, the trust and respect evaporating."
In April, 2025, Wiegman then told the Paris St-Germain keeper she was no longer considered England's main starter.
"I felt the weight of my heart sink to the floor and the relief that I finally had clarity lift from my shoulders all at once," wrote Earps.
With Euro 2025 coming up in June, she announced her retirement from international football.
Earps said her initial decision was not accepted and agreed to think about it further - a decision she now regrets - before eventually calling time on her Lionesses career.
Hampton, now 24, played all six matches at the Euros, saving two penalties in the decisive shootout against Spain in the final.
In a separate interview with the Guardian, external, Earps did not want to go into more details about the "disruptive behavior", but added: "She is a very good goalkeeper and I've tried to draw a line under all that. I have messaged her privately to say, 'look, no bad blood'."
