Call Sam Kerr simply must make after ‘weak’ Football Australia move

Australian football great Robbie Slater has called for Sam Kerr to do the right thing after Football Australia’s ‘weak’ move.

Australian football legend Robbie Slater has called out Football Australia’s ‘weak’ punishment of Sam Kerr and believes it is in everyone’s best interest if she stands down as Matildas captain.

It comes after the 31-year-old was found not guilty on one charge of racially aggravated harassment in February after she called a police officer “f***ing stupid and white”.

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Following the conclusion of her court case, fans waited with bated breath for FA’s response, wondering if she would be stripped of the captaincy or even stood down.

And on Monday FA ended weeks of speculation by announcing Kerr had been cleared to return to full duties with the Matildas ahead of the team’s upcoming matches against South Korea in Sydney and Newcastle, beginning Friday.

The million-dollar question about whether she will be stripped of the captaincy was not explicitly addressed at all in the statement and remains somewhat up in the air, although the inaction from FA would suggest when she returns to the field she will be once again handed the armband.

But that decision would not sit well with many Aussie fans.

Kerr admitted during the court hearings at Kingston Crown Court in the UK she was drunk at the time of the incident with police following a night out that led to her vomiting in a taxi and a window in the taxi being smashed before police were called.

As well as that, the decision to not tell FA in advance that she had been charged, meant FA chief executive James Johnson and his board learnt of her saga at the same time as the rest of the world.

It is that behaviour that led many to come to the conclusion that she is not fit to captain the national team.

Sam Kerr move called out. Image: Getty

Former Socceroo Robbie Slater (pictured) believes FA made a mess of the Sam Kerr statement. Image: Adam Yip/ Manly Daily

It is a stance shared by Slater, who says that while the Matildas are yearning for her return, after lacking bite in attack in her absence, she simply cannot captain the national team again.

And Slater hopes Kerr will now do the right thing and turn down any offer to captain the Matildas again.

“The best thing that Kerr can do when she returns to action is to decline any offer to again captain the Matildas,” Slater wrote in a column for Code Sports.

“That will prove that she is putting the team first, and go at least some of the way towards her regaining some of the fans that have been put off-side during her police and court saga, despite her being found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.”

Slater believes Steph Catley, who has stepped in as interim Matildas captain in the absence of Kerr, should continue as skipper.

Sam Kerr was found not guilty on one charge of racially aggravated harassment on February 12 after she called a police officer “f***ing stupid and white” (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

Sam Kerr rejoins Matildas camp following FA announcement

Kerr has rejoined the Matildas camp ahead of the first of two friendlies between Australia and South Korea on Friday but she will not feature.

After discussions between her club Chelsea and FA, it was agreed the best thing for her recovery was to complete the final stages of rehabilitation from her long-term knee injury with the Australian team’s high-performance staff.

While not playing, Kerr will be around the group and Slater hopes she sets a good example by facing the media and accepting responsibility for her actions.

As for FA, Slater believes they made a mess of the Kerr situation, labelling their statement “weak” and saying the decision to not take the captaincy off the 31-year-old permanently means they have failed to hold players accountable to the national code of conduct.

Steph Catley (pictured) has stepped up as Matildas captain in the absence of Sam Kerr. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

FA’s statement spoke of “recent events”, or “events that were widely circulated and critiqued” and while noting Kerr’s behaviour had “implications” in relation to the FA’s code of conduct, it did not state she had breached it in any way.

So in the wake of the relative inaction from FA, the 60-year-old Socceroos great has implored Kerr to do the right thing and own up to what she has done and not captain the side again as a first step in showing remorse.

“Captaining your country is the highest honour in any sport. It’s a title that brings with it a responsibility not only to lead your team on the field, but also lead by example off the field,” Slater said.

“Unfortunately for Kerr, she set a poor example in the video at the London police station that the whole of Australia watched. That is not the behaviour befitting of a national captain.

“Kerr is supposed to be a role model, so there is no coming back, in terms of the captaincy.”

You can read the full column from Robbie Slater at Code Sports.

Originally published as Call Sam Kerr simply must make after ‘weak’ Football Australia move