- Sam Kerr could stay on as Matildas skipper
- Comes despite recent court saga in London
- Cleared to maintain role by Football Australia
Aussie football legend Robbie Slater has called for Sam Kerr to step down as Matildas skipper – despite Football Australia clearing the striker to again wear the captain’s armband once she returns from injury.
Kerr won’t feature in the upcoming matches against South Korea in Sydney and Newcastle, beginning on April 4.
The striker – who hasn’t played since January of 2024 after rupturing her ACL when on a training camp with Chelsea in Morocco – will instead take on a mentor role at training and on match days.
Steph Catley is expected to lead out the Matildas – and Slater believes it should be a permanent move ahead of the Asian Cup on home soil next year.
‘The best thing that Sam Kerr can do when she returns to action is to decline any offer to again captain the Matildas,’ Slater wrote for Code Sports.
‘Unfortunately for Sam, she set a poor example in the video at the London police station that the whole of Australia watched. That is not the behaviour befitting of a national captain.
Australia football legend Robbie Slater has called for Sam Kerr to step down as Matildas skipper (she is pictured right, with fiancée Kristie Mewis)
Slater (pictured, right) also felt Football Australia were ‘weak’ after issuing a statement that pointed to ‘additional context’ surrounding Sam Kerr’s recent court case in London where she was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment
Kerr won’t play in the upcoming matches against South Korea in Sydney and Newcastle, beginning on April 4 due to a knee injury
Kerr will instead take on a mentor role at training and on match days (pictured, with Matildas teammates Caitlin Foord and Alanna Kennedy)
‘She is supposed to be a role model, so there is no coming back, in terms of the captaincy.’
Slater also felt Football Australia were ‘weak’ after issuing a statement that pointed to ‘additional context’ surrounding the Kerr court case in London.
Kerr spoke of her ‘regret’ for the incident – with the FA board concluding the matter warranted no further action.
Football Australia chairman Anter Isaac felt the saga shouldn’t overshadow Kerr’s contribution to the game.
‘Knowing how Sam (Kerr) feels about the events, along with the additional context we’ve learned, has added vital perspective that the general public may not be aware of,’ he said.
‘Setting aside those difficulties, this one incident should not offset the incredible contributions she has made, both publicly and privately, on and off the field – for more than 15 years.’
In February, Kerr was found not guilty on one charge of racially aggravated harassment after she called a police officer ‘f***ing stupid and white’.
It followed a night out where Kerr vomited in a taxi and when at the police station displayed her bank balance when informed she needed to pay for damage to the black cab.
Earlier in the night, Kerr’s fiancée Kristie Mewis kicked in a taxi window, with both women adamant they were being kidnapped by the driver.
Frustrated police weren’t listening to her version of events later at the station, Kerr pointed to what she felt was ‘male privilege.’
Meanwhile, as part of her return-to-play program, Kerr has joined the Matildas training camp for the March/April FIFA women’s international window, which runs from March 31 to April 8.
Granted leave by Chelsea, she will continue her rehabilitation under the supervision of the Matildas’ performance support team.
Kerr has not yet been cleared for competitive football – although the Matildas will be hopeful she is available to face Argentina in Melbourne on May 30 and Canberra on June 2.
