By Ian Chadband
Sam Kerr will not be disciplined by Chelsea in the fallout from her court case in London, with the English club’s manager offering a glowing testimonial and vote of support for the Australian captain.
Coach Sonia Bompastor said on Thursday that she was happy Kerr had been acquitted of causing racially aggravated harassment of a police officer and added that her subsequent apology was “enough” to ensure no further action.
But Bompastor was still unclear when Kerr, who hasn’t played since suffering a bad knee injury at a training camp 13 months ago, would be ready for competitive action again for Chelsea.
On Tuesday, Kerr had been cleared after calling an officer “f****** stupid and white” at the police station following an incident in Twickenham, with the 31-year-old Matildas’ skipper apologising after the court hearing “for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening”.
Asked about the episode on Thursday, the club’s French boss Bompastor said: “Sam made a statement, she apologised for that and I think that is enough.
“Every man, every woman can make mistakes and that’s what you learn from and that’s how you move forward.
“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.”
Chelsea and Australia football striker Sam Kerr, leaves court.Credit: nnaKCampbell
Asked about the verdict, Bompastor said: “Really happy for her. I think, as you can imagine, it was a tough week, difficult week for her and for her family.
“Since I joined Chelsea (in May last year) I really know Sam as a player, but also as a person, and I was really surprised for her to be involved in that.
“Who she is doesn’t reflect what I heard in the court and also what I was reading in the newspapers and everything.
“We really know her, we are probably, with her family, the ones who know her the most and it was difficult to see her in that situation. We were really supporting her and I’m really glad the verdict was positive and now she can move forward.”
Bompastor, who revealed she had sent messages of support to Kerr throughout her case, added that the club would continue to rally around their star striker in the forthcoming weeks.
“We care about Sam and we just want to give her the best.”
Asked how Kerr had coped, she added: “When you know Sam, she’s a really shy person and just wants to live her life, she doesn’t like to be in the light, shining, she just wants to be a normal person.”
Kerr posted pictures on social media on Thursday, showing herself at training, but Bompastor admitted: “It’s difficult to give a really precise time frame for Sam, but we are really happy to have her back on the pitch with us, with the team.
“She is progressing with her rehab and going in the right direction, but it’s difficult for me to give a really precise time frame.
AAP
