Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has confirmed the club will not take any disciplinary action against Sam Kerr following her court acquittal, stating the striker’s apology “is enough”.
The Blues boss expressed her happiness for Kerr after the Australia international was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment on Tuesday.
“Sam made a statement, she apologised and I think that is enough,” Bompastor told a news conference on Thursday.
“Everyone can make mistakes and that’s what you learn from and that’s how you move forward.”
Sam Kerr was cleared by a jury of causing racially aggravated harassment
Reuters
Kerr, 31, was cleared by a jury at Kingston Crown Court of causing racially aggravated harassment after calling a Metropolitan Police officer “stupid and white” during an incident in January 2023.
The incident occurred after Kerr and her partner Kristie Mewis were driven to Twickenham Police Station by a taxi driver following a dispute over clean-up costs.
Following the verdict, Kerr issued a statement apologising “for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening” while maintaining she “did not intend to insult or harm anyone”.
Bompastor expressed surprise at Kerr’s involvement in the court case, stating it didn’t align with her character.
“Who she is doesn’t reflect what I heard in the court and what I was reading in the newspapers,” the Chelsea manager said.
She described Kerr as “a really shy person” who “doesn’t like to be in the light”.
“We are family and we were really supporting and I’m really glad the verdict was positive and now she can move forward,” Bompastor added.
Sam Kerr is currently out injured for Chelsea with an ACL
PA
Kerr, who has not played since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2024, has recently been pictured doing training work.
“She is progressing with her rehab and going in the right direction, but it’s difficult for me to give a really precise timeframe,” Bompastor said.
The Chelsea striker is not yet fully training with the team and is being managed individually, according to her manager.
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A video showed Sam Kerr calling a police officer ‘stupid and white’
Reuters
“She’s not fully practising with the team, still being managed. It’s really individual and every player is different,” Bompastor added.
Football Australia welcomed the court verdict in a statement and said it “remained committed” to supporting Kerr.
The national governing body added it would speak with Kerr to “reflect on learnings from this matter”.
The statement came after Bompastor emphasised that what Kerr “was facing last week was hard enough for her” and that Chelsea’s priority was to support their player.