The UK Metropolitan Police have charged Australian women’s football superstar Sam Kerr over alleged racially aggravated harassment of a police officer last year in West London.
In a statement, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said Ms. Kerr was charged “with a racially aggravated offence under Section 4A [of the] Public Order Act 1986,” and added that the charge “relates to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare on January 30, 2023, in Twickenham.”
Ms. Kerr appeared at a trial preparation hearing at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court on Monday morning after receiving a summons on Jan. 21 this year.
According to a spokesperson from the Crown Prosecution Service, the Matilda’s captain pleaded not guilty with a trial date set for Feb. 1, 2025, at the Wimbledon Magistrates Court.In a statement, Football Australia said it was aware of the legal proceedings, but as an ongoing legal matter, it could not comment further, only saying, “Our focus remains on supporting all our players, both on and off the field. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide support as appropriate.”
Ms. Kerr’s Australian-based manager, PR expert Niki White, declined to comment when approached about the charge and subsequent not-guilty plea.Earmarked for stardom early on, Ms. Kerr started her career, 15, with Perth Glory in 2008, winning a full international cap the following season. In 2013 she moved to Sydney FC before embarking on a career in Europe.
She was a squad member at the 2011 and 2015 FIFA World Cups and captain at the 2019 edition, where she also became the first Australian to score a World Cup hat trick.
In 2018 she was awarded Young Australian of the Year as part of the 2018 Australia Day Honours and was bestowed a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to football in the 2022 Honours.
In 2021 she captained Australia to a fourth-place finish at the delayed 2020 Olympics.
Ms. Kerr played a starring role in last year’s World Cup where the Matildas, spurred on by host nation support, had a golden run to the semi-finals before they were ousted from the tournament by England’s Lionesses in a 3-1 defeat.
She is also a Golden Boot recipient in the W-League, the NWSL in the United States and in European competition. Her stint at star-studded Chelsea has seen her win four WSL titles, three FA Cups, two Women’s League Cups, and the Women’s Community Shield.
Ms. Kerr has been battling an anterior cruciate ligament injury since the start of 2024, after a training incident at a camp in Morocco and is expected to miss this year’s Paris Olympics.In October 2023, Western Australia’s new $50.8 million State Football Centre in Queens Park was officially renamed the Sam Kerr Football Centre.
