Key Points
- Sam Kerr’s England football club manager said the Matildas captain has Chelsea’s “full support”.
- It comes as Kerr faces a charge of racial harassment.
- Kerr’s legal team is hoping to have the charge dismissed at an April court hearing.
Matildas captain Sam Kerr has been told she has the “full support” of English champions Chelsea FC as her club manager Emma Hayes talked of the “difficult time” faced by the Australian soccer great.
Kerr has pleaded not guilty , causing alarm or distress to a police officer during an incident in Twickenham, south-west London, on 30 January last year.
British tabloid The Sun reported on Wednesday that Kerr allegedly called the police officer a “stupid white bastard”.
The alleged slur was also reported in the Guardian, information it said was provided by sources with knowledge of the case.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes (centre) says “Sam has our full support – and she knows that”. Source: EPA / Tolga Akmen
“The first thing I want to say is that Sam has our full support. She knows that,” said Hayes, talking in public for the first time about her star player at a news conference in London on Wednesday.
“Yes, it’s a difficult time for her. Of course, I can’t comment (about the case). What I can say is that I know she’s pleaded not guilty, and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardise anything for Sam by speaking about it.
“And for that reason, I’m sure you can appreciate that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.
“But she has our full support and she knows that, and it’s really important I get that across. That’s something I really, really value.
“There’s difficult moments, tough times and that’s what my role is in this football club, it’s to make sure I look after our people, and I just want to be clear that Sam will be fully supported by me and everybody else at Chelsea.”
Kerr was charged on 21 January, almost a year after the incident in London was alleged to have occurred. The 30-year-old pleaded not guilty via video link at Kingston Crown Court on Monday.
Kerr is currently recovering amid a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during Chelsea’s warm-weather training camp in Morocco.
Kerr, Australia’s leading all-time scorer, has scored 99 goals in 128 matches for the London side, winning the league four times, the FA Cup three times and the League Cup twice.
Kerr’s defence team hopes to avoid a criminal trial and have her charges dismissed at a court hearing on 26 April, arguing “abuse of process”.
