Chelsea striker Sam Kerr is facing trial in Britain on charges of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.
The charges stem from an alleged incident early last year when a police officer responded to “a complaint involving a taxi fare,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
It was Jan. 30, 2023 — the day after Kerr scored a hat trick in a fourth-round match against Liverpool in the Women’s FA Cup tournament. (Chelsea went on to win the title for a third straight year, with Kerr scoring the match-winning goal.)
A year later, authorities charged Kerr with a “racially aggravated offence” under the country’s Public Order Act, police said. The incident allegedly occurred in Twickenham, not far from Kerr’s home in southwest London.
Kerr pleaded not guilty to the charges in a pretrial hearing Monday, prosecutors said.
The 30-year-old striker is one of the highest-profile and highest-paid players in women’s soccer and a national hero in her native Australia, where she has helped popularize what was once considered a niche sport there.
Kerr has scored 99 goals in 128 matches since she joined Chelsea in 2019. She was runner-up last year to Spain’s Aitana Bonmati for the Ballon d’Or award, given to the game’s top player.
She was Australia’s flag bearer at the coronation of King Charles III and — despite an injury — she helped whip up a frenzy for the Matildas national team and drew record crowds to the Women’s World Cup this past summer.
Sam Kerr mania heats up as Australia readies to co-host soccer World Cup
Kerr hasn’t commented publicly on the police allegations.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson and women’s national team coach Tony Gustavsson said at a news conference that they learned of the charges on Tuesday morning local time.
“Our focus remains on supporting all our players, both on and off the field,” Football Australia said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide support as appropriate.”
Chelsea and Kerr’s attorney Grace Forbes didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kerr ruptured her ACL during a training camp in Morocco in January, an injury expected to sideline her for the remainder of the 2023-24 Women’s Super League season and probably the Paris Olympics, for which the Matildas qualified last week.