Chapman claims Sampson influenced by her divorce

One of England’s longest-serving players has claimed Mark Sampson stopped picking her after she told him she was getting a divorce.

Chelsea Ladies captain Katie Chapman said she suspected it was “part” of the reason Sampson had not selected her since April 2016.

Chapman, 35, became the latest player to speak out about manager Sampson since team-mate Eni Aluko accused him of bullying and discrimination last month. That was after Sampson, who denies any wrongdoing, had been cleared by two investigations of allegations made by Aluko, including that he racially abused another Chelsea player, Drew Spence.

Speaking about this for the first time this week, Sampson said: “These allegations were investigated thoroughly and now we’re in a position where I feel strongly that we need to move on and continue to work hard to bring more success to this team.”

Chapman, the winner of 94 caps since making her England debut in 2000, claimed her performances had been strong enough to earn a recall. She said: “I’ve certainly not had a conversation with Mark about that so I’m a little left thinking, ‘Why was I not selected or not even spoken to about that situation?’”

She added: “I’ve gone through a divorce. And I think that might’ve played a little part.”

Asked whether the outcome would have been the same had a male player told his manager his marriage was over, Chapman said: ‘No. Off the back of that conversation, I haven’t been picked.”