Football Australia refuses to comment on Sam Kerr's Matildas captaincy future

Football Australia (FA) has declined to comment on any speculation regarding the future of Matildas captain Sam Kerr following her injury, after Kerr became embroiled in a court case. Kerr is planning to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury to participate in international friendlies against South Korea held in Australia, but she must first defend herself in a UK court.

The 31-year-old striker will face trial this week, accused of racially aggravated abuse against a police officer following a night out in London in 2023. Video played in court showed Kerr calling a police officer "a stupid white cop." Under UK law, the offense carries a maximum sentence of 26 weeks in prison. Kerr has denied the charge.

Speaking to the media in Sydney, Football Australia chairman James Johnson declined to comment on how Kerr's return to the field would be handled, and whether she would continue as captain. "We understand that fans may be disappointed, but we ask for patience," Johnson said on Wednesday. "We know there's a 30-second, 40-second video clip circulating, but we also know there's a 30-minute video that we haven't seen. What we need to do is give Sam the chance to complete the trial. Once the trial is over, we'll have a full understanding of what happened."

The Matildas will face South Korea at Sydney Football Stadium on April 4 and at Hunter Stadium three days later, preparing for the 2026 Women's Asian Cup. If her comeback with Women's Super League club Chelsea goes without a hitch, Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni believes Kerr has a chance to participate in the April matches. "As it stands at the moment, I think there's a very good chance she'll be fit," Sermanni said. "She's feeling good, she's fit. But by then, she may have been out of the game for 15 months. A lot may depend on her schedule at Chelsea and how quickly or slowly we need to safely bring her back."

The April friendlies will be an opportunity for Australia to avenge their Asian Cup loss, after suffering a quarter-final defeat to South Korea in the 2022 Asian Cup. Sermanni is likely to coach both friendlies, as Football Australia continues to search for a permanent candidate to lead the Matildas at the 2026 home Asian Cup, the 2027 Women's World Cup, and the 2028 Olympics. "We do want to give the new coach as much preparation time as possible," Johnson said. "The reality in women's football now is that coaches are under contract – you can't just tap someone on the shoulder and they come the next day. I can assure you that we are in discussions with the highest caliber candidates."