‘Contempt, toxicity, entitlement’: Australian footballer Sam Kerr’s spectacular own goal for acting stupidly

In Sam Kerr’s words, PC Stephen Lovell possessed white privilege but, ‘most importantly, he didn’t acknowledge he was in the presence of a world-famous athlete’. Picture: Henry Nicholls/AFP

Does anyone have an email address handy for Guinness World Records? I need to give them a heads-up that Matildas captain and Chelsea striker Sam Kerr has just broken the record for the most expensive taxi ride ever.

Admittedly this was not Kerr’s intention, but nonetheless she deserves recognition for this amazing achievement. Normally a cab from southwest London to Twickenham in the middle of the night would cost you around £50.

What it will end up costing Kerr could well be in the seven figures, and to top it off she and her partner, West Ham midfielder Kristie Mewis, did not even get home. Legal counsel, spin doctors and potential lost revenue from sponsorships are just the start of what makes up this hefty fee. Bugger.

Having been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment for repeatedly calling a London Met police officer “f--king stupid and white”, Kerr issued a brief statement through her PR team.

Sam Kerr at Kingston Crown Court in south London. Picture: Justin Tallis/AFP

“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,” she said.

In other words, Kerr is the real victim and should never have been charged. But unfortunately for her, Justice Peter Lodder KC did not see it that way.

“I take the view her own behaviour contributed significantly to the bringing of this allegation,” he said. “I don’t go behind the jury’s verdict but that has a significant bearing on the question of costs.”

That means Kerr has Buckley’s of recuperating her considerable legal fees from the state. The judge’s heartless and arbitrary denial is yet another example of the extent to which white men go to make life difficult for our Sam, who has Indian/Anglo heritage.

But the biggest villain in this travesty of justice is PC Stephen Lovell. He possesses, in Kerr’s words, “white privilege”. As she further claimed, he and his colleagues, “treated (me) differently based on what they perceived to be the colour of my skin”.

So numerous are the privileges that Lovell enjoys as a white police officer they cannot be quantified, but a few examples will suffice. He is paid a base wage of £45,000 ($89,500) to work ungodly hours in a thankless and dangerous job. A doddle really.

In the case of our celebrity soccer couple, he gets to deal with two obnoxious and drunken women, one of whom had kicked out the rear window of a cab, and the other who was spoiling for an argument after having a good chunder inside the vehicle. Talk about a dream job.

In all respects PC Lovell handled this incident unprofessionally. He did not, for instance, begin the conversation by apologising to Kerr for his white privilege. He did not tell her he was committed to decolonising the institution of policing. He had the opportunity to put her at ease by saying he renounced everything that whiteness stood for, but he failed to do so.

He did not say he was an ally of LGBTIQ+ people or that he was committed to educating himself and doing better. I bet he was not even wearing rainbow socks at the time. Most importantly, he did not acknowledge he was in the presence of a world-famous athlete. This was unforgivable.

He was also sceptical of the women’s claim they had been “kidnapped” and “taken hostage” by the taxi driver (who had taken both to Twickenham police station, presumably to hold them hostage there).

The police’s incredulity could only amount to one thing. “Because this is a f--king racial f---king thing,” an angry Kerr told them. Mind you, the taxi driver concerned was Asian, but I think we’d all agree that in the intersectionality stakes, Kerr wins hands-down. The hierarchy of oppression demands that her truth prevail.

Kristie Mewis, the partner of Australian footballer Sam Kerr. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

And let’s be clear – apart from Kerr repeatedly telling officers they were effing stupid and white, she was respectful at all times. You know, like demanding to see a manager, because the constables were “irrelevant”. Or saying, “I’m over these c--ts”. And just in case the police were in any doubts about Kerr’s importance: “I’m going to post this s--t on Twitter,” along with “I’ve got all the f--king people in the world”.

It was wonderful role model stuff. Provided, that is, you seek a mentor who oozes contempt, toxicity and entitlement. As for Sports Minister Anika Wells, who said during the trial, “Sam certainly has Australia behind her,” I can only say Wells’s insight into mainstream Australia is consistent with that of her Labor colleagues.

Kerr’s supporters claim there was no need for this matter to proceed to court. I agree. So too did the police early on in this affair. They proposed the couple compensate the taxi driver for the broken window, the cab fare, and the cleaning fee. If they did that the pair could go on their way and the police would take no further action. So what was Kerr’s response?

“I am not paying for f--king, some f--king c--t’s f--king window. He deserves it. I am not paying for it I will sit here until 4am and get the f--king Chelsea lawyers on this stupid…’’

Fail the attitude test and the police will throw the book at you, as Kerr belatedly discovered. What it has cost her financially is one thing. But it is minuscule compared to her reputational cost. As to who was acting stupidly, who just scored a spectacular own goal?

But I will say one thing for her. She did not express herself “poorly”, as she claimed. On the contrary, Sam Kerr, your words were an example of insightful simplicity. They transcended your public persona. In vino veritas.