Australian international Sam Kerr, women’s star of world football, is not on the list of selected for the Paris 2024 Games due to a serious knee injury. The Matildas captain and striker for London club Chelsea ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in January and her father said several months ago that she would not recover for Paris.
The official confirmation came on Tuesday from the national coach, Tony Gustavsson, who unveiled a group of 23 players for the next friendly matches against China, on May 31 in Adelaide and June 3 in Sydney, the last meetings before the Games.
Sam Kerr as well as the other attacker Amy Sayer “remain on the sidelines due to long-term injuries”, said the coach in a press release. “Kerr and Sayer will continue their rehabilitation program at their original club and will therefore not be selectable for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.” Kerr, 30, is Australia’s most prolific striker with 69 goals in 128 caps. Runner-up to the Spaniard Aitana Bonmati for the 2023 Golden Ball, she has been playing at Chelsea since 2019.
In March, she was accused in the United Kingdom of racially insulting a police officer, a charge to which she pleaded not guilty and which will see her stand trial in February 2025.
The facts date back to January 30, 2023 in Twickenham, in the southwest suburbs of London. According to the police, they occurred while an officer intervened following a dispute over the fare of a taxi ride. The footballer is being prosecuted for “threatening, offensive and insulting” behavior towards the police officer.