Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor reveals outrageous interview question she has been forced to answer that clubs would 'never ask' a man

A damning new Women in Football report has exposed the scale of discrimination across the sport. The findings, released on Wednesday, showed that 78% of women working in football have faced discrimination, while nearly two-thirds admitted to experiencing sexist ‘banter’ or degrading jokes in the workplace. Perhaps even more alarming, 56% of those who reported gender-based discrimination said no action was ever taken.

For Bompastor, none of it comes as a shock. "Guess what was almost the first question everyone is asking me when I want to become a head coach or a manager?" the 45-year-old said. "So I'm going to tell you - 'do you think it's possible to be a mum of four kids and being a manager for a high club?' I think if you have a man in front of the same people, they will never ask that question."

Bompastor was quick to stress that Chelsea themselves have not been guilty of such attitudes. "It wasn't the case in Chelsea," she added with a laugh.

Still, the fact she continues to be asked whether she can juggle motherhood and management highlights how far football has to go. "We still have room for improvement in that area, and I'm glad the people are honest and they are brave enough to raise that," she said.

Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers also weighed in, agreeing that football has taken steps forward but warning against complacency.

"There is still a lot of work that needs to be done," Slegers said. "I think we need to stay critical, although there's been a lot of progress in that sense. It's not always in the big things; it can be in the small things as well. It's good to be aware of it."

What makes the questioning of Bompastor even more outrageous is her track record. In her debut season in charge, she led Chelsea to a domestic treble, clinching the Women’s Super League, League Cup, and FA Cup without losing a single match across all three domestic competitions. 

The Blues racked up a record-breaking 60 points in the WSL, with an incredible 18 of those coming against fellow heavyweights Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. They capped it all off with a 3-0 demolition of United at Wembley, sealing the third piece of silverware in style. Her next hurdle is West Ham in the WSL on Sunday.