Footballer Sam Cole accused of racially aggravated harassment of London police officer

Chelsea and Australian footballer Sam Kerr will go on trial in the UK accused of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.

The 30-year-old appeared in court on Monday charged with using insulting, threatening or abusive words causing alarm or distress to officers who responded to a taxi fare complaint in Twickenham, south-west London, on January 30.

Kerr appeared at Kingston Crown Court via video link and spoke only to confirm her name and enter a not guilty plea to the charges, the Daily Mail reported.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Samantha Cole, 30 (September 10, 2019) from Richmond, was charged on January 21 by a postal charge application with one of the offenses of public offenses 1986 A serious racial offense under Section 4A of the Order Act.

“This charge relates to a police incident involving a taxi fare complaint that occurred in Twickenham on January 30, 2023.”

Cole is expected to stand trial in February next year, with two police officers expected to testify. The trial is expected to last four days.

The striker is one of the country’s best-known athletes as captain of Australia, with the Matildas reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup between Australia and New Zealand last year.

In May, the footballer raised the flag of his country at the coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey.

Last month, Kerr renewed her contract with current Women’s Super League champions Chelsea. The forward suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during mid-season training camp in Morocco and will miss the remainder of the season.

Cole joined Chelsea in the middle of the 2019-20 season and scored 99 goals in 128 games for the team.

She has also won the Golden Boot twice, finishing second to Spain’s Aitana Bonmatija in the Ballon d’Or last year, and in 2023 the Guardian’s Top 100 Women after finishing third in 2021 and 2022. Ranked second in the football player rankings.