By Ian Ransom MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Football Australia said on Wednesday it looked forward to Sam Kerr's return to the pitch after the national women's captain was found not guilty of racial abuse but the episode has left a sour taste for some fans and pundits in Australia.

Kerr, 31, who has captained the Matildas since 2019 but is currently out injured, was charged with causing racially aggravated harassment in January 2023 but was found not guilty this week following a trial.

Football Australia will remind Sam Kerr of the “behavioural standards” expected of national team players after the Matildas star was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.

The fallout from Sam Kerr’s UK court case, for racially aggravated harassment of a police officer, could have far-reaching ramifications.

Football Australia (FA) said on Wednesday it looked forward to Sam Kerr's return to the pitch after the national women's captain was found not guilty of racially abusing a British police officer after a dispute with a cab driver.

Sam Kerr has been found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer following a seven-day trial at Kingston Crown Court. Kerr, one of women’s football’s highest-profile players, had been accused of intentionally causing “racially aggravated harassment,

Kerr, one of the highest-profile players in women’s soccer, was charged after a 2023 dispute with a London taxi driver turned into a heated exchange with police.

Sam Kerr, one of the world’s top female soccer players, was found not guilty Tuesday of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.