A 12 months later, authorities charged Kerr with a “racially aggravated offence” beneath the nation’s Public Order Act, police mentioned. The incident allegedly occurred in Twickenham, not removed from Kerr’s residence in southwest London.
Kerr pleaded not responsible to the fees in a pretrial listening to Monday, prosecutors mentioned.
The 30-year-old striker is among the highest-profile and highest-paid gamers in ladies’s soccer and a nationwide hero in her native Australia, the place she has helped popularize what was as soon as thought of a distinct segment sport there.
Kerr has scored 99 objectives in 128 matches since she joined Chelsea in 2019. She was runner-up final 12 months to Spain’s Aitana Bonmati for the Ballon d’Or award, given to the sport’s high participant.
She was Australia’s flag bearer on the coronation of King Charles III and — regardless of an damage — she helped whip up a frenzy for the Matildas nationwide group and drew document crowds to the Ladies’s World Cup this previous summer season.
Kerr hasn’t commented publicly on the police allegations.
Soccer Australia CEO James Johnson and girls’s nationwide group coach Tony Gustavsson mentioned at a information convention that they realized of the fees on Tuesday morning native time.
“Our focus stays on supporting all our gamers, each on and off the sphere,” Soccer Australia mentioned in an announcement. “We’ll proceed to watch the state of affairs and supply assist as applicable.”
Chelsea and Kerr’s legal professional Grace Forbes didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Kerr ruptured her ACL throughout a coaching camp in Morocco in January, an damage anticipated to sideline her for the rest of the 2023-24 Ladies’s Tremendous League season and doubtless the Paris Olympics, for which the Matildas certified final week.