No-one saw it coming. Not football’s administrators, nor the national team coach. Certainly not the adoring public that has followed every step of the Matildas’ meteoric rise to the throne of Australian sport.
Sam Kerr’s shock court appearance in the UK has left loyal fans reeling. Though the trial is not scheduled to take place until February next year – more than two years after the alleged offence – the response in Australia on Tuesday has highlighted just how high the stakes are for the national team captain and the broader football community in the matter’s process and outcome.
The news of her appearance via video link in Kingston crown court, where she pleaded not guilty to a charge of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer, led Australian TV bulletins and news websites on Tuesday.
Up until now the Matildas have won almost universal praise, captivating and inspiring a new generation of football fans. At the forefront has been Kerr, who now enjoys a place as one of football’s most well-known and marketable faces.
The 30-year-old has a long-running agreement with Nike, another deal with Mastercard, and was made the face of video game Fifa 23 alongside French striker Kylian Mbappé. AFR estimated her annual income last year was $3.3m.
She is the leading light in the Matildas brand that is worth millions of dollars to Football Australia, the players and commercial partners. The new national teams’ collective bargaining agreement rewards players a larger share of football revenues if the team achieves commercial objectives.
A sports marketing professional, who requested anonymity, said the charge is “the first big challenge for Sam Kerr and the Matildas’ image”.
However, they believed her UK location and current injury could help mitigate damage. “I would hope that partners don’t flinch at this and pull out, as this is a reality of being a partner through good and bad,” they said.
“For Sam there will likely be some short-term harm to her profile but I think if you look at other high-profile male athletes, it is not a career-ruiner if managed properly, and I think she has built up enough trust that brands won’t abandon her long term.”
Former Socceroo Craig Foster said it was “deeply distressing” to see the Australian captain accused of a racially aggravated offence, although he said Kerr was entitled to the presumption of innocence, having pleaded not guilty.
“… Racism is a serious contractual issue and if proven, there would need to be sanctions applied as per any other player,” Foster said.
Athletes in criminal court proceedings not only face criminal penalties. Their behaviour is assessed by their employers under codes of conduct within their work agreements.
FA chief executive James Johnson said it was “too early to tell” if the matter would impact Kerr’s role as Matildas captain.
“Sam has rights as an individual, she has pleaded not guilty and I think we need to remember that and we need to respect that.”
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The sensitivity of the issue was highlighted by the FA’s treatment of the news.
The governing body initially released a short statement on Tuesday morning saying it was unable to comment “as this is an ongoing legal matter”, though it was providing support and monitoring the situation.
At two press conferences held on Tuesday to announce upcoming Matildas friendlies in Sydney and Adelaide, FA sought to have the matter addressed away from TV cameras.
But ultimately both Johnson and Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson revealed they had woken up to the news like everyone else in Australia.
Johnson spoke for many when he said, “we have got to find out what actually happened”.
FA is trying to sell more than 130,000 tickets in coming weeks to the matches in Adelaide and Sydney, attempting to break the Matildas’ crowd record and extend a run of sellouts that currently stands at 12.
Foster also noted the Matildas had been vocal on social justice issues involving race, including statements against racism to First Nations and support for Black Lives Matter. “I can only hope the allegation is proven false,” he said.
