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Chelsea striker and Matildas captain Sam Kerr is ready to face trial after being charged with racially aggravated harassment of a London police officer.
The 30-year-old Australia worldwide pleaded not guilty to the offence at a courtroom listening to on Monday, the Crown Prosecution Service stated.
Kerr is scheduled to seem at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on 1 February 2025.
It follows an alleged incident in January 2023.
“The charge relates to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare on 30 January 2023 in Twickenham,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated.
She was charged on 21 January “with a racially aggravated offence under Section 4A [of the] Public Order Act 1986”, they added.
However Kerr denied the cost at a plea and trial preparation listening to at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court on Monday.
The striker is presently sidelined after struggling an anterior cruciate ligament damage on the membership’s heat climate coaching camp in Morocco in January.
She has scored 99 objectives in 128 matches since becoming a member of Chelsea in 2019, and is her nation’s all-time file goalscorer with 64 objectives in 125 video games.
Speaking to media in Adelaide on Tuesday, Football Australia chief govt James Johnson stated the federation had discovered of the “very serious allegations” within the information that morning.
“There is no place for racism in our sport,” he stated.
“At the same time Sam has rights, natural justice rights, procedural rights that she has to work through and we will respect that.”
Asked if Kerr – arguably Australia’s largest sports activities star – ought to be stood down because the nationwide workforce’s captain till the courtroom case has performed out, Mr Johnson stated the governing physique wanted to “establish the facts” earlier than deciding its “next step”.
“We are trying to get to the bottom of it at the moment… we’ve got to find out what actually happened.”
“I haven’t spoken to Sam other than a text message to check in on her wellbeing.”
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson advised reporters in Sydney that he was “surprised” by the allegations however could not say something additional.
“The only thing I can comment is my experience and interaction with Sam as a person and as a footballer, and I have only positive experience with that,” he stated.
During her time at Chelsea, Kerr has gained 4 WSL titles, three FA Cups, two Women’s League Cups and the Women’s Community Shield.
She has additionally been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Féminin – the highest prize in ladies’s soccer – ever yr since its inception in 2018, inserting second final yr.
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