Australian soccer star Kerr claims that she was treated differently by UK police during a racism trial

Australia women’s soccer captain Sam Kerr, who is on trial for allegedly racially assaulting a white police officer, said in a London court on Wednesday that she believed she was treated differently by British police due to the color of her skin.

In the early hours of January 30, 2023, Kerr, who is of Indian descent, informed officer Stephen Lovell that “you guys are fucking stupid and white” after police were summoned during a drunken altercation with a taxi driver.

Playing for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, the 31-year-old acknowledges uttering such things but has entered a not guilty plea to one count of racially aggravated harassment. She was commenting about privilege and power, according to her attorney.

Kerr told jurors at Kingston Crown Court that she believed the cab driver had unfairly sided with the police when he took her and her West Ham United partner, Kristie Mewis, to a police station.

“I believed they were treating me differently based on what they perceived to be the color of my skin,” she explained.

“It’s honestly really hard to watch myself act like that,” Kerr remarked in response to a question about her feelings from her attorney, Grace Forbes, after seeing video of her fighting with police. That’s not how I usually behave, so I’m rather humiliated.”

Kerr, who has 69 goals and is among the best female attackers in the world, has not played since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2024.