English women’s team coach Sarina Wiegman is “disappointed and saddened” by Mary Earps’ decision to immediately retire from international football. The Dutch coach would have liked to take the goalkeeper to the European Championship in Switzerland next summer.
The 32-year-old Earps announced her surprising decision on Tuesday. The announcement came just five weeks before England first play at the European Championship in Switzerland in July. There they will face France, the Netherlands and Wales in the group stage.
English media previously reported that Wiegman was angry about Earps’ decision and that the timing in particular surprised her. Wiegman responded to the news herself for the first time at a press conference on Thursday.
“I am disappointed and saddened that she is not part of the team. I want her on my team,” Wiegman said. “She has done such great work for England. We have achieved great things together. It must have been a difficult decision for her. We have had conversations, but those remain between us.”
Presumably, the decision of the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper is related to the fierce competition she faces with the ‘Lionesses’. Hannah Hampton of Chelsea appears to be the preferred choice at the European Championship.
Earps was still the first-choice goalkeeper in 2022 when Wiegman’s England were crowned European champions on home soil. She also reached the World Cup final with her country in 2023. In that final, Spain proved too strong.
