Sam Kerr, Chelsea striker and captain of the Australian national team, has been charged with racially aggravated harassment of a London police officer and is set to face trial. Kerr pleaded not guilty at a court hearing on Monday and is scheduled to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on 1 February 2025. The charge refers to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare in Twickenham in January 2023.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said Kerr had been charged on 21 January “with a racially aggravated offence under Section 4A [of the] Public Order Act 1986.” Kerr, who is currently sidelined after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the club’s warm weather training camp in Morocco in January, has scored 99 goals in 128 matches since joining Chelsea in 2019, and is her country’s all-time record goalscorer with 64 goals in 125 games.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said the federation had learned of the “very serious allegations” in the news and that “there is no place for racism in our sport.” He added that Kerr had “rights, natural justice rights, procedural rights that she has to work through and we will respect that.” Asked if Kerr should be stood down as the national team’s captain until the court case has played out, Johnson replied that the governing body needed to “establish the facts” before deciding its “next step.”
Tony Gustavsson, the Matildas coach, said he was “surprised” by the allegations but couldn’t say anything further. During her time at Chelsea, Kerr has won four WSL titles, three FA Cups, two Women’s League Cups and the Women’s Community Shield. She has also been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Féminin every year since its inception in 2018, placing second last year
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