Australia's Sam Kerr to stand trial over alleged racial harassment of police officer

Kerr, who made her debut for London-based Women's Super League club Chelsea in 2020, pleaded not guilty at Kingston Crown Court on Monday after being charged on January 21st, the reports said.

"The charge relates to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a complaint involving a taxi fare on 30th January 2023 in Twickenham," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

Football Australia (FA) had been unaware of Kerr's legal trouble until the news broke early in Australia on Tuesday.

"We woke up to this this morning," FA boss James Johnson told reporters in Adelaide.

"Of course, it’s a very serious allegation. It regards racism and there’s no place for racism in our sport.

"At the same time Sam has rights, natural justice rights, procedural rights that she's got to work her way through and we're respectful of that."

Kerr, Australia's all-time top scorer with 69 goals in 128 appearances, has been sidelined since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury at Chelsea training in January.

Revered by Australian soccer fans, Kerr's global celebrity helped bring the women's game into the mainstream and drive a major hike in corporate sponsorship for the Matildas, who reached the Women's World Cup semi-finals on home soil last year.

Kerr is also a magnet for global brands in her own right, having signed deals with Nike, Mastercard and a major Australian bank.

She became the first woman on the cover of EA Sports' FIFA, the world's most popular soccer video game, before it was discontinued last year.