Australian soccer star Sam Kerr pleads not guilty to ‘racially aggravated offense’
By Thomas Schlachter, CNN
(CNN) — Sam Kerr, Chelsea FC star and Australia women’s captain, pleaded not guilty to a “racially aggravated offense” of a police officer, British authorities said Monday.
The 30-year-old striker was charged following an incident involving an officer on January 30 last year in Twickenham, a suburb of southwest London.
The officer was “responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson wrote in a statement to CNN Monday.
Kerr was charged “via postal charge requisition on 21 January with a racially aggravated offense under Section 4A Public Order Act 1986,” the Met Police added.
Kerr denied the charge at the Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court on Monday, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed to CNN.
She is scheduled to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on 1 February 2025, the Met Police said.
Football Australia said it was “aware of the legal proceedings involving Sam Kerr in the United Kingdom” and would provide “support” to the Matilda’s captain.
“As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable to provide further comment at this time. 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,” Football Australia said.
CNN has reached out to Chelsea FC, who declined to comment.
The Perth-born soccer star signed for Chelsea in 2019 and helped transformed the club into the best women’s team in the country, winning four straight Women’s Super League (WSL) titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups in her four seasons in London.
Since joining, Kerr has gone on to score 99 goals in 128 matches.
Last year, she led the Australia women’s team in making national history by becoming the first team – men’s or women’s – to reach a soccer World Cup semifinal.
In January, Kerr suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during training, according to Chelsea FC and the Matildas, ruling her out of the second half of the English Women’s Super League season and Australia’s AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers Round 3 series against Uzbekistan in February.
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