Kerr kept Matildas, Football Australia in dark for six weeks over police harassment charge

Football Australia was blindsided by Sam Kerr’s alleged “racially aggravated” harassment of a police officer in London, with chief executive James Johnson and Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson both admitting they only learnt of the charge when they woke up on Tuesday morning.

Kerr was charged via postal charge requisition on January 21 for an incident that occurred almost a year prior, after police responded to a complaint against the Matildas captain involving a taxi fare in Twickenham, in London.

That means she withheld the developments and notice of her overnight court appearance in which she entered a plea of not guilty from FA and Gustavsson for six weeks.

FA was preparing to confirm Australia’s two Olympic farewell friendlies against China with separate press conferences on Tuesday in Adelaide and Sydney, both of which were completely overshadowed by the developments.

Sources familiar with the matter, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said FA officials were annoyed they were not informed earlier, and subject to the legal process unfolding in the United Kingdom, Kerr may face further sanctions based on the federation’s code of conduct.

Her position as national team captain could also come under scrutiny, although Kerr is sidelined with an ACL injury she suffered in early January – a fortnight before she would have received the charge in the mail – and is not expected to return to full fitness until later this year.

Tony Gustavsson speaks to the media in Sydney on Tuesday.Credit: Kate Geraghty

“I woke up this morning like everyone else did to the news,” Johnson said in Adelaide, where the Matildas will face China on May 31, three days before a rematch at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.

“And that is when Football Australia found out about this unsettling event.

“We are trying to get to the bottom of it at the moment. We have got our own questions that we’d like to know, we have got to find out what actually happened. But we also want to say that there is a process that is under way in the United Kingdom, and that process needs to run its course.”

Chelsea, Kerr’s club team in the English FA Women’s Super League, has been contacted for comment. It is unclear if the club, like FA, was also unaware the superstar striker was in trouble with the police.

FA chief executive James Johnson, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and Matildas striker Michelle Heyman at the Adelaide press event on Tuesday.Credit: Getty

Kerr’s Australian-based manager, Niki White, declined to comment when asked why FA were not told sooner.

Gustavsson, who was speaking at a separate event in Sydney, said he had not yet spoken to Kerr.

“The first time I ever heard about it was this morning,” he said. “Obviously [I] was surprised. I can’t comment on the offence because it’s a legal matter at this point. The only thing I can comment [on] is my experience and interaction with Sam as a person, as a footballer, and I have only positive experiences from that.”

Johnson said FA was still trying to establish the facts of what occurred on January 30, 2023 – the day after Kerr scored a hat-trick against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

“Of course, it’s very serious allegations, it regards racism, and there’s no place for racism in our sport,” he said.

“At the same time, Sam has rights, natural justice rights, procedural rights, that she has got to work her way through, and we are respectful of that. We have got to get some answers before we have a view on what should be done as a next step ... until that time, we can’t really say anything further.

“We need to allow the process to play out; I think that is important. Sam has rights as an individual; she has pleaded not guilty, and I think we need to remember that, and we need to respect that.”

Gustavsson did not directly answer questions about whether Kerr should remain as captain of the national team. Steph Catley has been leading the Matildas in her absence, while Ellie Carpenter and Emily van Egmond were elevated as vice captains once it became apparent Kerr’s injury would likely rule her out of the Olympics.

But he did say he was confident the situation would not affect the team as it prepares for Paris.

“If you look at the attention that this team has gotten over the last little bit less than a year ... the team itself knows the core values of who they are, on and off the field. They know what they stand for,” Gustavsson said.

“But also, as a football team, they know what they stand for on the field. They’ve shown in the past that when there’s been things around them that could potentially disturb the team, they have been very good at focusing on their ‘why’, and what they stand for and how they want to play football. And so, in that sense, I think the team is going to be very professional this time around as well.”

Kerr appeared in Kingston Crown Court via video link on Monday and spoke only to confirm her identity and to enter a not-guilty plea to the charge. She is expected to go to trial at Wimbledon Magistrates Court in February next year when two police officers are scheduled to give evidence. The trial is due to last four days.

British authorities have cracked down on crimes that they allege are racially or religiously motivated over the past decade, with those convicted of similar-level charges in some recent cases having been sent to prison.

Under Section 4 or 4a of the Public Order Act 1986, under which she was charged, the racially or religiously aggravated version of an offence can attract a maximum penalty on summary conviction, which is six months imprisonment or an unlimited fine or both.

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