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Chelsea striker Kerr was charged with assaulting a police officer in an incident in London final yr and faces trial in February 2025.
Australian soccer captain Sam Kerr has pleaded not responsible to racially aggravated assault of a police officer in London greater than a yr in the past however will face trial on the fees, United Kingdom prosecutors have stated.
The 30-year-old striker, who performs membership soccer for Chelsea in London, is charged with assaulting, harassing or harassing a police officer throughout an incident in Twickenham, south-west London, on January 30 final yr, based on the Crown Prosecution Service. I went. ,
“The cost pertains to an incident involving a police officer who was responding to a criticism referring to taxi fares in Twickenham on 30 January 2023,” the Metropolitan Police stated in a press release on Monday.
Kerr, one of many world's most acknowledged feminine footballers and a sporting icon in her residence nation, was charged on January 21, nearly a yr after the alleged incident.
The Chelsea ahead, who scored a hat-trick in opposition to Liverpool within the FA Cup at Kingsmeadow, Chelsea Girls's residence floor, a day earlier than the incident, is because of seem in court docket in February subsequent yr.
The 30-year-old pleaded not responsible by way of video hyperlink at Kingston Crown Court docket on Monday, British media report.
Kerr denied the cost at a plea and trial preparation listening to at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court docket on Monday, the PA information company reviews.
Chelsea haven’t commented on the reported incident.
Soccer Australia CEO James Johnson and girls's nationwide crew coach Tony Gustavsson informed Australian media that they had been solely made conscious of the allegations in opposition to Kerr on Tuesday morning.
Johnson stated he despatched Kerr a message to inquire about his well-being however didn’t hear again from him.
“We try to unravel it. Now we have our personal questions we want to know,” Johnson stated throughout a information convention in Adelaide.
“There’s a course of happening and that course of must take its course.
“I don't wish to get entangled in allegations,” he stated. These are severe allegations. On the similar time, Sam has rights – pure justice rights, procedural rights – by means of which he has to work his manner by means of and we respect that.
Gustavsson stated he couldn’t touch upon the allegations and referred to an earlier assertion from Soccer Australia.
“The one factor I can touch upon is my expertise and interactions with Sam as an individual and as a footballer,” he stated, “and I've solely had constructive experiences with him.”
In an earlier assertion issued after media reviews emerged from Britain, Soccer Australia (FA) stated it was conscious of the proceedings involving Kerr, however was unable to touch upon the continuing authorized case.
“Our focus is on supporting all our gamers on and off the sector,” the FA stated in a press release. “We’ll proceed to observe the state of affairs and supply applicable help.”
Kerr is presently sidelined after struggling an anterior cruciate ligament damage throughout a warm-weather coaching camp with the Chelsea Girls's crew in Morocco in January.
Revered by Australian soccer followers, Kerr's world celeb helped deliver the ladies's recreation into the mainstream and led to a serious enhance in company sponsorship for the nationwide Matildas crew, which reached the Girls's World Cup semi-finals on residence soil final yr.
Kerr suffered a calf damage that stored her out for a lot of the event, however returned later within the event and scored a shock objective within the semi-final in opposition to England.
Final Might, he led the Australian delegation as flag bearer on the coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey.
She is the nation's all-time main scorer in worldwide soccer with 69 objectives in 128 video games. The ahead has scored 58 objectives for Chelsea within the WSL since 2020.