Chesley's Sam Kerr during the Women's Super League match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
- Chelsea and Australian women's footballer Sam Kerr has been charged with “racially aggravated offenses” in England after an altercation with police officers.
- Chelsea and Australia star Kerr has pleaded not guilty.
- The 30-year-old striker, one of the highest-profile and highest-paid players in women's competition, was charged following an incident in London in January 2023.
- For more sports news, news 24 sports cover.
International women's soccer star Sam Kerr is on trial in England after pleading not guilty to racially aggravated charges against a London police officer, prosecutors announced.
The Chelsea striker and Australia captain was charged following an incident in January last year in which he was cited by the Metropolitan Police for a dispute over a taxi fare.
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Born to an Anglo-Indian father and an Australian mother, 30-year-old Kerr is a prized Australian athlete and one of the most famous players in women's football.
Australia's all-time leading scorer appeared on the cover of the FIFA video game last year alongside Kylian Mbappe.
She is scheduled to stand trial in February 2025. The charges relate to acts of “intimidation, abuse and humiliation” and, if proven, could result in a fine or custodial sentence.
The incident is said to have taken place before last year's World Cup, which was held in Australia and New Zealand, but has not been made public until now, and appears to have surprised Australian soccer leaders.
Matildas coach Tony Gustafsson said he only learned about the allegations on Tuesday and had not yet spoken to his captain.
“I was informed this morning and was obviously surprised,” he said.
“At this time I cannot comment on this attack as it is a legal matter. The only thing I can comment on is my experience and interaction with Sam as an individual and as a footballer.
“And I've had nothing but positive experiences,” he said.
Gustafsson said it was too early to tell whether the allegations would result in Kerr being excluded from this summer's Paris Olympics squad.
Kerr has been sidelined since January due to a torn ACL.
“I think it's a bit premature to be considering selection at this point. As we all know with Sam's serious injury in January, there's obviously a big question mark over whether she'll be selected. It's there,” Gustafsson said.
“It's very serious.”
Football Australia chief executive James Johnson called the allegations “disturbing” and “very serious”.
“We have questions that we want to know. We have to find out what actually happened,” he said.
“This is about racism and there is no room for racism in our sport. At the same time, Sam has rights, natural justice rights, procedural rights and she has to do it her way. He’s going to put in the effort and we respect that.”
Former Australian men's team captain Craig Foster said the news was unexpected and sad.
“Racism is a very serious problem. [not only] In sports. Let's recognize the rights of others involved and hope that February will pardon Sam,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
speed, agility
Ms Kerr is credited with helping to soar the popularity of the women's game both in Australia and around the world.
She played Australian rules football as a child and was sure she would one day represent the West Coast Eagles, a club she loved like a big brother.
She switched to soccer at the age of 12 and made her full international debut against Italy in 2009, a precocious talent who was just 15 years old at the time.
Kerr, known for her pace, agility, heading ability and trademark backflip goal celebrations, came to the United States in 2013.
She moved first to the Western New York Flash, then to New Jersey's Sky Blue FC, and finally to the Chicago Red Stars.
After moving to Chelsea in 2020, Kerr reached a new level.
The 2023 Ballon d'Or runner-up scored the only goal in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Manchester United in last season's FA Cup final.
As her star continued to rise over the years, Kerr signed lucrative sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike and Mastercard.
She has played 128 games in all competitions for Chelsea, scoring 99 goals.
In 2019, Kerr became the first Australian, male or female, to score a hat-trick in a World Cup.
