Matildas captain Sam Kerr will seek to have a charge of racially harassing a police officer dismissed after it was revealed the alleged incident was sparked by a dispute over a taxi fare.
On Tuesday morning, Daily Mail exclusively revealed that the Matildas captain will face a criminal trial in February next year over the alleged incident.
The Chelsea striker appeared in court accused of using insulting, threatening or abusive words which caused alarm or distress to the officer in Twickenham, south-west London, on January 30 last year.
Now it has emerged that his legal team will return to court on April 26 with the aim of avoiding the criminal trial scheduled for February of next year.
Kerr’s legal team will try to have the case against him dismissed when the matter returns to court on April 26.
The Matildas and Chelsea star is accused of using insulting, threatening or abusive words that caused alarm or distress to a police officer
Court documents have revealed they plan to argue abuse of process by prosecutors after it took almost 12 months for Kerr to be charged.
If this is unsuccessful, Kerr’s case will be heard in court on February 2 next year, with two police officers and other witnesses to give evidence.
The 30-year-old woman, who was wearing a white T-shirt under a black suit jacket when she appeared at Kingston Crown Court via video link, spoke only to confirm her identity and plead not guilty to the charge on Monday.
While all details relating to the alleged crime are still unclear, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson revealed what sparked the incident in question.
“The charge relates to an incident involving a police officer responding to a complaint relating to a taxi fare on January 30, 2023 in Twickenham,” he said.
On Tuesday it was revealed Kerr had kept the Matildas and Football Australia in the dark since she was charged on January 21 this year.
“On January 21 she was charged with a racially aggravated offense under section 4A (of the) Public Order Act 1986.”
On Tuesday it was revealed Kerr had kept the position secret from the Matildas and Football Australia for six weeks.
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson confirmed he had not been informed of the charges before the news broke that morning.
“This morning, the first time I heard about this was this morning,” he said.
“I was informed this morning and obviously I was surprised and had some time to speak to the federation (Football Australia) about it.”
FA chief executive James Johnson said the country’s peak football body was also left in the dark.
“I woke up this morning like everyone else to the news,” Johnson told reporters in Adelaide.
“And that’s when Football Australia learned of this disturbing development.
‘We are trying to get to the bottom of it at the moment.
A sports marketing expert says the 30-year-old striker (pictured with fellow football superstar Kylian Mbappé) is at risk of a “pretty dramatic drop” in her lucrative sponsorship deals.
Kerr (pictured with fiancee Kristie Mewis) will face questioning from Football Australia, according to the body’s chief executive James Johnson.
“We have our own questions we would like to know, we have to find out what really happened.”
Kerr and Chelsea have not commented on the position at the time of publication. The striker is still out due to a serious knee injury.
She risks a “pretty dramatic drop” in her lucrative brand deals as a result of the scandal, a sports marketing expert said.
According to Dr Tom Heenan, Professor of Sport and Australian Studies at the Monash Intercultural Laboratory, Faculty of Arts, Kerr, who reportedly earned $3.3 million last year, could lose further seismic payments.
“This will have marketing consequences, their reputation has been damaged, especially because the Matildas have been put on such a high pedestal, the fall is going to be quite dramatic,” he said. news corporation.
“The other aspect of this is that Kerr is out of the game (she is recovering from knee surgery that will keep her out for several months) and there has been a rise in the profile of the other players.
‘The Women’s World Cup did a lot to emphasize that this was about a team, not just Sam Kerr.
“I think the team’s reputation will remain intact, but Kerr’s reputation will be affected.”