EXCLUSIVE
The father of Matildas captain Sam Kerr has dismissed questions about his daughter’s plight as she faces charges of racially abusing a London police officer.
Roger Kerr appeared stressed as he arrived at the Perth seaside home he shares with the World Cup star’s mother Roxanne on Wednesday.
Mr Kerr pulled up outside the house in a Volkswagen with a cigarette in his mouth before tearing up a box for recycling and taking bins off the road.
The former professional Australian Rules player and coach declined to comment on his daughter’s legal situation and deflected questions about how she coped when he first publicly confronted the scandal.
“Yes,” he said when contacted by Ny Breaking Australia. “Oh, no comment.”
The father of Matildas captain Sam Kerr has refused to discuss his daughter’s charge of racially abusing a London police officer. Roger Kerr is pictured outside the Perth home he shares with Sam’s mother on Wednesday
Kerr’s parents bought their four-bedroom home in North Coogee in 2017 for $1,150,000 after moving from Fremantle, where they raised their four children.
The family is so close that last year Sam bought a vacant lot on North Coogee’s South Beach for $940,000 so she could build a townhouse near her parents.
On Tuesday morning, the Ny Breaking exclusively revealed that Kerr will face a criminal trial in February next year after being accused of racially abusing a police officer.
The 2018 Young Australian of the Year will seek to have the charges, which arose from an alleged dispute over a taxi fare, dismissed out of court.
Kerr – who reportedly earned $3.3 million last year – comes from a famous sporting family previously better known for their exploits in Australian Rules than football.
Kolkata-born Roger, whose mother was Indian, played in the WAFL for East Fremantle and then with Port Adelaide in the SANFL.
Kerr’s brother Daniel won an AFL premiership during a 220-game career with the West Coast Eagles, where he played in midfield with greats such as Chris Judd and Ben Cousins.
The Kerr family is so close that last year Sam bought a vacant lot on North Coogee’s South Beach for $940,000 so she could build a townhouse near her parents. Roger, Roxanne and Sam are pictured in 2022
The Kerr siblings are also related to retired AFL footballer Shaun McManus, who played 228 games for Fremantle, and Con Regan, who made 262 appearances for East Fremantle.
Roger Kerr has previously acknowledged that his daughter is now undoubtedly the biggest star in the family.
“I am blessed,” he told the Port Adelaide Football Club website during the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year.
“Daniel, who played for West Coast, kept me going… now Sam. I think they both have me covered now.”
Kerr’s other two older siblings, Levi and Maddi, weren’t into sports, but the future Olympian grew up playing Australian Rules, cricket and backyard football with Daniel.
The Chelsea forward appeared in court in London on Monday charged with using abusive, threatening or insulting words causing alarm or distress to the officer at Twickenham on January 30 last year.
Mr Kerr pulled up outside his home in a Volkswagen with a cigarette in his mouth before tearing up a box for recycling and taking bins off the road
It has since emerged that her legal team will return to court on April 26 with the aim of avoiding a four-day criminal trial.
Court documents show Kerr’s attorneys plan to plead abuse of process by prosecutors after it took nearly 12 months for their client to be charged.
If that fails, Kerr’s charges will be heard in court on February 2 next year, with two police officers and other witnesses testifying.
The 30-year-old, who wore a white T-shirt under a black suit jacket as she appeared at Kingston Crown Court via videolink, spoke only to confirm her identity and enter a not guilty plea.
While full details surrounding the alleged crime remain unclear, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson revealed what allegedly sparked the incident.
“The charge relates to an incident involving a police officer responding to a taxi fare complaint on January 30, 2023 in Twickenham,” he said.
‘She was charged on January 21 with a racially aggravated offense under Section 4A (of the) Public Order Act 1986.’
Kerr, the 2018 Young Australian of the Year, will seek to have the charges, which arose from an alleged dispute over a taxi fare, dismissed out of court. She is in the photo with her parents
It emerged on Tuesday that Kerr had kept the charges secret from the Matildas and Football Australia for six weeks.
That afternoon, Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson confirmed he had not been informed of the allegations before the news broke that morning.
“I heard about it for the first time this morning,” he said.
“I was informed this morning and was obviously surprised and had some time to talk to the federation (Football Australia) about it.”
FA chief executive James Johnson said the country’s top football body also remains in limbo.
“I woke up this morning like everyone else did with the news,” Johnson told reporters in Adelaide.
“And then Football Australia heard about this disturbing event.
‘We are currently trying to get to the bottom of it.
“We have our own questions that we would like to know, we need to find out what really happened.”
Kerr, who is sidelined with a serious injury, and her club Chelsea have not commented on the charges.