Sydney, Mar 31 (UNI) Football Australia has announced that star striker Sam Kerr will not be sanctioned after being cleared of racially harassing a police officer by a UK court

Football Australia said on Monday that its board met with Kerr, Australia's all-time record goalscorer, to address the court case and decided that it warranted no further action.

A London court in February found the 31-year-old Kerr not guilty of racially harassing a British police officer during a dispute in January 2023.

Kerr has not played for Australia's national women's team, the Matildas, or club side Chelsea since the charges became public due to a serious knee injury.

The decision by Football Australia means that Kerr will be eligible to return to her role as Matildas captain when she has recovered from her injury.

In a joint statement with Football Australia issued on Monday, Kerr expressed her "sincere regret" for how events unfolded.

"It was an incredibly difficult period for me, my family, my club, my teammates, and especially for the fans whose support means so much to us," she said. "I'm proud of the Matildas, the role I have played as a member of that team, and everything we stand for, and I'm committed to learning from this experience."

Football Australia said that Kerr has joined the Matildas training camp in Sydney in a non-playing capacity ahead of friendlies against South Korea on April 4 and 7 in Sydney and Newcastle, respectively.

Kerr has played for the Matildas 128 times since making her international debut aged 15 in 2009 and has scored 69 senior international goals. She came third in the women's Ballon d'Or - the annual award for the top female player in the world - in 2021 and 2022, and second in 2023.

Following the friendlies against South Korea, Australia will face Argentina for two friendlies in Melbourne and Canberra on May 30 and June 2, respectively.

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