Sonia Bompastor breaks her silence on whether Chelsea will take disciplinary action against Sam Kerr after the Matildas star was cleared of racially aggravated harassment

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has revealed that the club will not be taking any disciplinary action against Sam Kerr, stating that her apology ‘was enough’. 

It comes after the 31-year-old was cleared of the racially aggravated harassment of a police officer on Tuesday.

Kerr, who has played for Chelsea since 2019, had called PC Stephen Lovell ‘stupid and white’ following a heated argument at Twickenham Police Station in 2023. 

Questions have also been mounting in recent days over whether Kerr will continue as the captain of the Australian women’s national side following the trial.

Speaking to the media on Thursday ahead of Chelsea’s game against Everton this weekend, Bompastor said the club would be rallying around Kerr. 

‘I think as you can imagine it was a tough week, a difficult week for her and her family,’ the Chelsea coach said during a press conference on Thursday.

Sam Kerr was pictured in training for the first time since she was cleared of racially aggravated harassment

Ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Everton this weekend, Blues boss Sonia Bompastor confirmed Chelsea would not be taking disciplinary action against Sam Kerr 

Bompastor said that the club will be rallying around Kerr (pictured right, with her fiancée Kristie Mewis, left) following the conclusion of her trial this week

‘Sam made a statement, she apologised for that and I think that’s enough.

‘Sometimes you can make mistakes. Everyone, every woman can make mistakes. It’s what you learn from that and how you move forward. But when you know the person you know she’s really nice and it’s maybe one moment in her life where something happened and if she has to reflect on that, she will probably be like: “I don’t want to go through that anymore”.’ 

Bompastor then stated that the club were only interested in throwing their support behind Kerr following the conclusion of the trial.

‘Yeah, it happens in life and now you also need to be forgiven for that and move forward,’ she said. 

‘But I think she made a statement and she was clear in her statement, she was clear in her statement and I think that was clear enough. I think what she was facing last week was hard enough for her.

‘The only thing we want to do as a club is support her.’ 

She stressed the importance of supporting Kerr in the coming weeks, adding: ‘We care about Sam and we just want to give her the best.  

‘Since I joined Chelsea I have known Sam as a player and person and I was really surprised for her to be involved in that. Who she is doesn’t reflect what I heard in the court and what I was reading in the newspapers.’ 

‘Sam recognised that sometimes you can make mistakes,’ she added. 

Sam Kerr was cleared of the racially aggravated harassment of a police officer on Tuesday and was pictured on Thursday back in training for Chelsea

The Chelsea and Australia striker called a police officer ‘stupid and white’ during a heated argument at Twickenham Police Station back in January 2023

She has since issued an apology and reaffirmed that she had not ‘intended to insult or harm anyone’

‘But from what I know from her she’s a really nice person. 

‘It’s difficult for me to understand why it went that way and why she had to spend one week in court. But that’s the way it is. 

‘The most important thing is she can look at the future and now not think about it any more.’ 

The Chelsea manager revealed she had been in touch with Kerr throughout the court proceedings, which lasted for seven days and concluded on Tuesday afternoon. 

‘I think it is always important to show your players support. I think Sam felt the support from all the club, all her team-mates and her staff,’ the Blues manager said.

‘We, probably with her family, are the ones who know her the most. And yeah, it was difficult to see her in that situation. We are a family and we are really supporting her and I’m really glad the verdict was positive and she can now move forward.’

Bompastor gave an update on how Kerr has been in the days following the trial.

‘I think she has stayed the same,’ Bompastor said. ‘She didn’t change her behaviour or mindset. I think that’s a really difficult situation to face and she was probably not proud but, yeah, that’s the way it is.

Bompastor was also unable to give a timeframe of when Kerr would return to play, with the Blues star pictured back in training on Thursday

Kerr has not played football for over a year, with the Chelsea forward ‘making good progress’ according to Bompastor

‘You know when you know Sam, she’s a really shy person and wants to live her life in the light. She’s a really normal person and likes to be quiet. This kind of week for her was something big. 

‘But she just wants to be a normal person and likes to be normal.’ 

Following the conclusion of the trial, Kerr issued a statement in which she thanked members of her family for their support but stated she had not meant to insult or harm anyone. 

‘Following today’s not guilty verdict, I can finally put this challenging period behind me,’ the Chelsea star said on Tuesday evening.

‘While I apologise for expressing myself poorly on what was a traumatic evening, I have always maintained that I did not intend to insult or harm anyone and I am thankful that the jury unanimously agreed.

‘I would like to thank my partner Kristie, my family, friends and all the fans for their love and support, especially those who attended court each day.’

Kerr and her fiancée Kristie Mewis announced last November that they were expecting a baby, with the Blues striker revealing during last week’s trial that they were expecting a baby boy. 

She also revealed that she and Mewis had planned to get married in December.  

Kerr had also stated that she was looking forward to focusing on her family and her football following the trial, with she and her fiancée Mewis expecting a baby boy this year 

Kerr added: ‘I am fully focused on getting back on to the pitch and look forward to an exciting year ahead for me and my family.’ 

Earlier on Thursday, Kerr took to Instagram to publish multiple pictures of herself smiling as she returned to Chelsea training. 

The Matildas captain has been sidelined for over a year with an ACL injury and is, according to Bompastor, making progress as she bids to make a return.

Bompastor gave an update on when Kerr could return to action for the Blues, having previously hinted she could make a return in either February or March.

‘It’s difficult to give a really precise time frame for Sam,’ Bompastor said.

‘Really happy to have her back on the pitch with us with the team. She’s not fully practising with the team and is still being managed and it’s really individual, every player is different but it is different to give a time frame.

‘She’s progressing with her rehab and going in the right direction.’

Bompastor’s comments come after Football Australia (FA) also threw their support behind the Chelsea Striker. 

But the governing body did not reveal whether the 31-year-old will keep the captain’s armband.

‘Football Australia acknowledges today’s not guilty verdict regarding Sam Kerr and welcomes Sam’s statement,’ FA said in Wednesday’s statement.

‘Sam has been a key figure in Australian football for many years, and we recognise the significant pressures that this matter has brought to Sam, Kristie, her family, and everyone involved, including the impact it’s had on the game.

Football Australia have also stated they will continue to support Kerr in the weeks to come but have not commented on whether she will keep the Matildas captaincy 

‘Throughout this period, Football Australia has remained committed to supporting Sam and will continue to do so as she focuses on her footballing career, rehabilitation from injury and return to play.

‘Football Australia invests heavily in building the behavioural standards and expectations of all involved with our game, especially for all our national team players, where leadership comes with added responsibilities on and off the field.

‘Football Australia will reflect with Sam on learnings from this matter and we will continue to provide appropriate support for her moving forward.

‘We look forward to Sam’s return to the pitch and her continued contributions to both her club and the Matildas on the world stage.’