Chelsea striker Kerr has been charged with harassing a police officer over an incident in London last year and will go on trial in February 2025.
Australian football captain Sam Kerr will stand trial on charges of racist harassment against a police officer in London more than a year ago, British prosecutors say. announced.
The 30-year-old striker, who plays for London club Chelsea, has been charged with harassing, alarming and causing distress to a police officer during the incident in Twickenham, south-west London, on January 30 last year, the UK reported. Announced by the Public Prosecutor's Office. .
“The charges relate to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint about taxi fares in Twickenham on January 30, 2023,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement on Monday.
Kerr, one of the world's most famous female soccer players and a sporting idol in her home country, was indicted on January 21, nearly a year after the alleged incident.
The Chelsea forward, who scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup match against Liverpool at Chelsea Women's home ground Kingsmeadow the day before the incident, is due to appear in court in February next year.
He pleaded not guilty via video link at Kingston Crown Court on Monday, according to British media.
Mr Kerr denied the charges at a plea and pre-trial hearing at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court on Monday, the PA news agency said.
Chelsea have not commented on the reported incident.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson and women's national team coach Toni Gustafsson told Australian media they were only made aware of Kerr's accusations on Tuesday morning. .
Mr. Johnson said he sent Mr. Carr a message to check on her well-being, but that they had not discussed it.
“We're trying to get to the bottom of it. There are questions we want to ask,” Johnson told a press conference in Adelaide.
“There is a process going on and that process needs to go smoothly.
“I don't want to get involved in the allegations. Those are serious allegations. At the same time, Sam has rights that he has to work through, including natural justice rights and procedural rights, and we respect that. Masu.”
Mr Gustafsson said he could not comment on the charges and referred to Football Australia's previous statement.
“The only thing I can comment on is my experience and interaction with Sam as a person and as a football player. I have only positive experiences about it.”
In a statement released after media reports began to emerge from the UK, Football Australia (FA) said it was aware of the litigation involving Kerr but could not comment on ongoing legal matters. Ta.
“We remain focused on supporting all our players on and off the field,” the FA said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance as needed.”
Kerr is currently sidelined after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament during Chelsea's warm-weather training camp in Morocco in January.
Respected by Australian football fans, Ms Kerr's global celebrity has propelled women's football into the mainstream and contributed to a significant increase in corporate sponsorship of the Matildas national team, which reached the Women's World Cup semi-finals on home soil last year.
Kerr missed most of the game due to a calf injury, but returned towards the end of the tournament and scored a stunning goal in the semi-final against England.
Last May, she led the Australian delegation as flag bearer at King Charles' coronation at Westminster Abbey.
She is the country's all-time leading scorer in international football, with 69 goals in 128 games. The forward has scored 58 goals for Chelsea in the WSL since 2020.
