Football Australia ‘will reflect’ with Sam Kerr after not guilty verdict

Kerr, 31, who has captained the Matildas since 2019 but is currently out
injured, was charged with causing racially aggravated harassment in January 2023
but was found not guilty this week following a trial.

Wednesday 12 February 2025 09:02, UK

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
[https://news.sky.com/story/chelsea-footballer-sam-kerr-not-guilty-of-racial-harassment-over-stupid-and-white-remarks-13306785].

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.”