Kerr to stand trial for alleged racial harassment of police officer

Sam Kerr, Australia's captain, will stand trial in the United Kingdom on charges of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer in London over a year ago.

Chelsea forward Kerr, one of the world's most recognisable women footballers and a sporting idol in her home country, was charged on January 21, nearly a year after the alleged incident occurred.

"The charge relates to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare on 30 January 2023 in Twickenham," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Kerr, who scored a hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup the day before the incident at Chelsea's home ground, is scheduled to appear in court in February of next year.

The 30-year-old entered her plea of not guilty via video link at Kingston Crown Court on Monday, according to British media.

Kerr's agent declined to comment. Chelsea did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

Football Australia (FA) were unaware of Kerr's legal troubles until the news broke early Tuesday in Australia.

"We woke up to this this morning," FA boss James Johnson told reporters in Adelaide.

"Of course, it’s a very serious allegation. It regards racism and there’s no place for racism in our sport."

"At the same time Sam has rights, natural justice rights, procedural rights that she's got to work her way through and we're respectful of that."

Tony Gustavsson, Australia's coach, was also taken aback and stated, "As a human being, always support (Kerr)."

"The only thing I can comment on is my experience and interaction with Sam as a person, as a footballer, and I have only positive experiences," he told reporters in Sydney.

The news overshadowed the FA's announcement of the national women's team's farewell matches against China in Adelaide on May 31 and Sydney on June 3, ahead of their campaign for their first Olympic medal at the Paris Games.

Johnson said the FA was looking for more information and that it was too early to say whether the incident would affect Kerr's captaincy of the national women's team, the Matildas.

"I haven't spoken to Sam other than a text message just to check in on her wellbeing at the moment because she is an employee of ours and also a player," he said.

Kerr, Australia's all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 128 appearances, has been out since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury at Chelsea training in January.

Kerr's a global celebrity, beloved by Australian soccer fans, helped bring the women's game into the mainstream and drive a significant increase in corporate sponsorship for the Matildas, who reached the Women's World Cup semi-finals on home soil last year.

Kerr is also a magnet for global brands, having signed deals with Nike, Mastercard, and a major Australian bank.

She was the first woman to appear on the cover of EA Sports' FIFA, the world's most popular soccer video game, which was discontinued last year.

She was the flag-bearer for the Australian delegation at King Charles' coronation in Westminster Abbey last May.

Kerr, the World Cup poster girl, suffered a calf injury that sidelined her for much of Australia's campaign, but she returned later in the tournament and scored a wonder goal against England in the semi-finals.

SportsLigue