Football Australia (FA) yesterday said it looked forward to Sam Kerr’s return to the pitch after the national women’s captain was found not guilty of racially abusing a British police officer after a dispute with a cab driver.
Kerr, who has Indian ancestry, called officer Stephen Lovell “stupid and white” after a drunken dispute two years ago. She was acquitted by a jury at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday after her lawyer argued the words were a comment on power and privilege.
“Sam has been a key figure in Australian football for many years, and we recognize the significant pressures that this matter has brought to Sam, Kristie, her family and everyone involved, including the impact it’s had on the game,” FA said in a statement.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Kristie Mewis is Kerr’s partner and plays for Women’s Super League club West Ham United.
“Throughout this period, Football Australia has remained committed to supporting Sam and will continue to do so as she focuses on her footballing career, rehabilitation from injury and return to play,” the statement said.
The case prompted calls from some Australian pundits to strip Kerr of the Matildas’ captaincy.
FA’s statement made no mention of her future as captain, but said the governing body had invested heavily in building behavioral standards and expectations, and that leadership came with added responsibilities “on and off the field.”
Chelsea forward Kerr, one of the world’s top female strikers, apologized in a statement for expressing herself “poorly,” while denying she had intended to insult or harm anyone.
Australia’s all-time top scorer with 69 goals has not played since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January last year.
On Jan. 31, 2023, Kerr, 31, and Mewis had been out drinking when they were driven to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver who complained they had refused to pay cleanup costs after one of them vomited, and one of them had smashed the vehicle’s rear window.
At the police station, Kerr became “abusive and insulting” toward Lovell, calling him “stupid and white.”
A jury returned the not guilty verdict after deliberating for more than four hours.
Additional reporting by AFP
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