Football Australia has said it “will reflect” with Sam Kerr after she was found not guilty of causing racially aggravated harassment by calling a police officer “stupid and white”.
The football governing body said it would support its star striker and welcomed her statement at the conclusion of the recent trial.
But it stopped short of confirming whether she would continue as the captain of the women’s national team.
It also acknowledged the “significant pressures” the trial caused for the Matildas and Chelsea attacker, her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, and their family.
Kerr, 31, who has captained the Matildas since 2019 but is currently out injured, was charged following an incident in southwest London in the early hours of 30 January 2023.
After a night out drinking, Kerr and Mewis were taken to a police station over a dispute with a taxi driver.
While there, Kerr was accused of becoming “abusive and insulting” towards PC Stephen Lovell, calling him “f****** stupid and white”, Kingston Crown Court heard.
In a statement, Football Australia said: “Football Australia invests heavily in building the behavioural standards and expectations of all involved with our game, especially for all our national team players, where leadership comes with added responsibilities on and off the field.
“Football Australia will reflect with Sam on learnings from this matter and we will continue to provide appropriate support for her moving forward.”
The body described Kerr as a “key figure in Australian football” and said it looked forward to her return to playing.
Judge Peter Lodder KC said after the verdict: “I take the view her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation.
“I don’t go behind the jury’s verdict but that has a significant bearing on the question of costs.”
Statement from Kerr
In a statement released on Tuesday after the verdict, Kerr said: “Following today’s not guilty verdict, I can finally put this challenging period behind me.
“While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed.
“I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day.
“I am fully focused on getting back on to the pitch and look forward to an exciting year ahead for me and my family.”
‘This is a racial f****** thing’
During proceedings, Kerr told the court she “feared for my life” when she and her partner were in the back of the taxi before Mewis smashed the vehicle’s rear window.
The driver had complained one of them had refused to pay clean-up costs after being sick.
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While at the station, Kerr, her partner and PC Lovell were said to have gotten into a “heated argument” and Kerr told police: “This is a racial f****** thing”.
She said to the jury: “I believed they were treating me differently because of what they perceived to be the colour of my skin – particularly PC Lovell’s behaviour.”
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But she denied using “whiteness as an insult” and claimed: “I believed it was him using his power and privilege over me because he was accusing me of being something I’m not…
“I was trying to express that due to the power and privilege they had, they would never have to understand what we had just gone through and the fear we were having for our lives.”
