FILE PHOTO: Australia soccer player Sam Kerr's racially aggravated harassment trial - Kingston Crown Court, London, Britain - February 11, 2025 Sam Kerr leaves the court after proven not guilty REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Chelsea will not sanction striker Sam Kerr in the wake of her court case, the English club's manager Sonia Bompastor said.
The Australia captain on Tuesday was found not guilty of racially abusing a British police officer after a dispute with a cab driver two years ago.
Kerr, who called the police officer "stupid and white", apologised in a statement for "expressing (herself) poorly" after she was acquitted by a jury at Kingston Crown Court.
Chelsea boss Bompastor said the apology was enough.
"She made a statement, she was clear in her statement, and I think that's enough," Frenchwoman Bompastor told reporters.
"What she was facing last week was hard enough for her, so the only thing we want to do as a club is support her."
Though cleared by the court, Australia's football association has faced calls to strip Kerr of the captaincy of the Matildas because of her conduct during the incident.
Football Australia (FA) was unaware of Kerr's legal trouble for over a year until media reported her entering a not-guilty plea to the racial charge last March.
FA said in a statement it looked forward to Kerr returning to the pitch from injury but would "reflect" with her on learnings from the incident.
Kerr, Australia's all-time top scorer with 69 goals, has been sidelined for over a year following knee surgery but is back training with Chelsea.
Bompastor did not give a timeline for Kerr's return to action but said her recovery was progressing well.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Michael Perry)
