Matildas captain Sam Kerr won’t be disciplined by Chelsea after not guilty verdict

The fallout from Sam Kerr’s London court hearing continues, this time with her club side deciding its next step.

Matildas captain Sam Kerr won’t be disciplined by Chelsea and instead has been given a ringing endorsement from her manager in the wake of her not guilty verdict in a London court.

After Football Australia vowed to support and “work” with Kerr and made no call on her captaincy amid the fallout from dramatic footage of her behaviour in a police station during the trial, after which she was cleared of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer, Chelsea’s plans were clear.

Women’s team coach Sonia Bompastor said she was happy Kerr had been acquitted and the superstar’s apology, made via social media, was enough, and no further action was needed. “Sam made a statement, she apologised for that and I think that is enough,” Bompastor said.

“Every man, every woman can make mistakes and that’s what you learn from and that’s how you move forward.

“What she was facing last week was hard enough for her, so the only thing we want to do as a club is support her.”

Bompastor said she was “really happy” for Kerr after a “tough week”.

Hear from Sonia ahead of our back-to-back clash with Everton this weekend.⤵️💬

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) February 13, 2025

“I think, as you can imagine, it was a tough week, difficult week for her and for her family,” she said

“Since I joined Chelsea (in May last year) I really know Sam as a player but also as a person, and I was really surprised for her to be involved in that.

“Who she is doesn’t reflect what I heard in the court and also what I was reading in the newspapers and everything.

“We really know her, we are probably, with her family, the ones who know her the most and it was difficult to see her in that situation. We were really supporting her and I’m really glad the verdict was positive and now she can move forward.”

Bompastor sent messages of support to Kerr because she and the Chelsea players “care about Sam”.

Chelsea won’t take any action against Sam Kerr. Picture: Justin Tallis / AFP

But her return to the playing field, as she progresses in her recovery from an ACL injury, is still unclear,

Kerr could yet make her Matildas return when the national team takes on Korea in two games in April

Whether she does so as captain remains to be seen.

“It’s difficult to give a really precise time frame for Sam, but we are really happy to have her back on the pitch with us, with the team,” Bompastor said.

“She is progressing with her rehab and going in the right direction, but it’s difficult for me to give a really precise timeframe.”

Originally published as Matildas captain Sam Kerr won’t be disciplined by Chelsea after not guilty verdict