Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor admits to secret romantic relationship with her assistant after ‘lying for 13 years’ in public
After ‘lying for 13 years’ in public, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor acknowledges having a covert romantic relationship with her assistant.
In her recent autobiography, Chelsea’s head coach Sonia Bompastor disclosed that she had a love involvement with her former teammate and coaching assistant with the women’s team for 13 years.
Following the departure of highly decorated former manager Emma Hayes, who brought with her a strong Champions League-winning pedigree from her time at Olympique Lyon, and her coaching partner Camille Abily, Bompastor arrived at Cobham this summer on a wave of anticipation.
Before establishing themselves as a management tandem, Bompastor and Abily played together at the French powerhouses. Bompastor took charge and had a dazzling tenure at Lyon that included three league titles, the Coupe de France, and a Champions League victory.
However, Bompastor revealed in her autobiography, A Life of Football, which was released in France on Wednesday, that she had accomplished her goals with Abily by her side both romantically and professionally.
According to the memoir, the couple has four children together, who are currently between the ages of three and nine.
Prior to the book’s release, Bompastor acknowledged in an interview with L’Equipe that keeping her secret had been “a heavy one.”
Ultimately, we came to the realization that lying for 13 years is a difficult secret to maintain. Given our varying experiences and the benefit of hindsight, we tell ourselves that we ought to have disclosed it sooner.
Abily, who was also interviewed, revealed that their first public profile had a role in their decision to maintain their relationship under wraps.
Before joining Lyon as players, Bompastor and Abily both played at Montpellier, where they were key members of an all-conquering team that won six league titles.
The pair also played international football for France; Bompastor and Abily both received 156 and 170 caps.
“There is self-acceptance and modesty,” Abily continued. We were still two well-known players back then. We already shared a lot of things in common.
I don’t particularly enjoy talking about these topics. It’s already self-acceptance, in my opinion. There isn’t a problem, as our kids and everyone else know. However, I won’t be the first to inform an ignorant person. Nevertheless, it went incredibly well, and we were extremely fortunate.
With a perfect undefeated record in all competitions this season and an eye toward a first Champions League trophy for the Blues, Bompastor and Abily have built on Chelsea’s history of success under Hayes and aim to go even farther.
In the League Cup final against Manchester City at the beginning of next month, Bompastor and Abily will compete for their first trophy while wearing Chelsea’s colors.
However, Bompastor emphasized that the boundaries are never crossed at work.
“My wife at work isn’t Camille,” she added. Camille is my partner and my combo. We are really effective at what we do because we know one other very well and have attributes that compliment each other.
