Sam Kerr’s ‘f--ing stupid and white’ comments will be there forever despite being found not guilty

Sam Kerr has received her legal verdict. But it is arguably in the court of public opinion where she will face the biggest consequences, writes Europe correspondent Sophie Elsworth.

Sam Kerr’s biggest own goal in her own sorry court saga is calling a British police officer “f---ing stupid and white” on a drunken night out in London two years ago that was all captured on police body cam footage that will forever haunt her.

The Matildas’ captain, the woman who was Australia’s flag-bearer at the coronation of King Charles III, the nation’s 2018 Young Australian of the Year and a hero to many young girls, now has 30 minutes of foul-mouthed language and appalling behaviour out there for all to see and vision that can never be erased.

For many in the UK, there was shock that the Kerr case got this far in the court system when the British, many would argue, have far more serious crimes on their hands including out-of-control knife attacks.

The darling of Australian sport has had her reputation tarnished for good despite a unanimous not guilty verdict being delivered in a London court just after 2pm local time on Tuesday.

Remarkably, after that disastrous night in 2023 where Kerr was drunk and vomiting while in a taxi and ended up at Twickenham police station only to be later arrested with racially aggravated harassment, she didn’t even bother to tell Football Australia or the Matildas about the incident.

Sam Kerr celebrating scoring her team's first goal during the Australia and New Zealand 2023 Women's World Cup semi-final football match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Photo: Izhar Khan.

Perhaps she thought it would be swept under the carpet.

But the woman, who identifies as white Anglo-Indian, who is meant to be one of the nation’s most prominent female sporting role models, now has left her image badly damaged.

As her own British barrister Grace Forbes said in court on Monday, the Chelsea striker “didn’t cover herself in glory” when she told PC Stephen Lovell at Twickenham police station in 2023 that he was “f---ing stupid and white”.

Nor did she when she said, “I’m not paying for some f---ing dodgy f---ing c — t’s (cab) f---ing window.”

While Kerr isn’t a household name in Britain like she is in Australia, the damage is undoubtedly done.

Each day in court nine at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court, a pack of both Australian and British press filled every spare seat to watch the testimony relating to Kerr’s undignified drunken night out where she was heard swearing profusely while having a heated argument with UK police.

Every major UK newspaper and TV station was in the courtroom, with the interest far and wide in a case that involved one of Australia’s most famous female sporting stars.

While Kerr was found not guilty, now the stream of questions will come – both in Australia and the UK – about her endorsements, her Matildas’ captaincy and whether she can put this whole sorry saga behind her for good.

Originally published as Sam Kerr’s ‘f--ing stupid and white’ comments will be there forever despite being found not guilty