Matildas superstar Sam Kerr was left disgusted and furious over comments from Aussie football legend Robbie Slater, labelling them ‘the most sexist thing you could say’.
In a soon-to-be-released documentary about the Aussie side as they prepare for a home Women’s World Cup in July and August, the skipper fumes as she describes Slater’s claim that her goalscoring record for the national team is ‘not equal’ to Aussie legend Tim Cahill’s.
The article, which ran on the front cover and two sport pages of News Corp’s Daily Telegraph on January 23 last year, came after Kerr became Australia’s all-time leading scorer with a five-goal haul during an Asian Cup clash.
At the time, Kerr simply said it was ‘an honour’ even being ‘in the same conversation’ as Cahill after breaking his record; and chose to deflect praise to her teammates; as she always has.
While she can block out the haters, Kerr has never been able to stand injustice or a lack of respect towards women’s sport – and she made that perfectly clear with her fury over Slater’s insistence she, because of her gender, was ‘not equal’ to Cahill.
Sam Kerr was left furious after her all-time Australian goalscoring record was deemed ‘not equal’ on the front page of the Daily Telegraph
After the Matildas beat Thailand in November last year, Kerr took time to chat to a young fan who said she looked up to the Aussie skipper in the same way Kerr would’ve looked up to Olympics legend Cathy Freeman
In February, skipper Kerr let Matildas youngster Courtney Nevin (no. 2) raise the Cup of Nations trophy aloft as she tried to avoid the spotlight
Kerr (centre) celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal in the Matildas’ stunning 2-0 victory over England on April 11
‘Literally the most sexist thing you could say – not equal,’ Kerr says on the new six-part documentary on Disney+ called Matildas: The World at our Feet.
‘Imagine little girls reading that.
‘I cannot believe, in this day and age, that someone could write this, and have young girls read it, and that the (Daily) Telegraph would actually publish such a sexist comment on the front page.’
‘NOT EQUAL’, ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ and ‘IT’S RIDICULOUS’ were used in giant block capital letters on both the cover, and front and back pages of the sport section of the Daily Telegraph’s issue last year to describe just how strongly Slater felt.
Slater – who kicked one goal in 44 caps for Australia – could not believe a Matildas player could be heralded as Australia’s all-time goalscorer instead of a male Socceroos player like Cahill.
That’s despite female players of Kerr’s generation receiving a tiny fraction of financial support from the game that male stars get, even though Australia is one of the world’s top women’s sides.
The front page of the Daily Telegraph on January 23, 2022, terming Kerr’s record as ‘not equal to Cahill’s, was ‘literally the most sexist thing you could say’ according to Kerr in an upcoming documentary
The front (right) and back (left) pages of the sport section continued to attack the rhetoric that Kerr broke the record, which Slater wrote was ‘disrespectful’ to Cahill
Kerr converts a penalty against Indonesia in the 2022 Asian Cup, a game in which she broke Tim Cahill’s record with a five-goal haul
‘Let’s not proclaim Kerr as Australia’s all-time leading goalscorer,’ he wrote for the Daily Telegraph.
‘Don’t get me wrong. Sam Kerr is a fantastic player and I’m delighted that she has now scored 54 times for Australia … yes, she has scored more goals for the Matildas than any other player in history.
‘But Tim Cahill was a Socceroo, not a Matilda. His 50 goals for the Socceroos is a record that shouldn’t be overshadowed by Kerr’s achievements.
‘To do so is being disrespectful to Cahill.’
However Cahill, perhaps the best Australian male player of all time, clearly wanted no part of it.
‘Congratulations Sam Kerr on this amazing achievement. You are an inspiration globally and I’m one of your biggest supporters and always here for you on and off the park. Keep breaking records and most importantly enjoy the journey,’ he wrote on social media.
Tim Cahill (top, celebrates a goal in 2017 for the Socceroos) was previously Australia’s all-time greatest goalscorer, but congratulated Kerr on taking the record from him
Sam Kerr (no. 20) and joyous teammates celebrate winning the Cup of Nations in February
Kerr’s defiant stance on the ‘sexist’ article has received a mountain of support from all over the football world.
‘She and every other Matilda are Australian, and so is every Socceroo. Logic says we absolutely can say Sam Kerr is the highest Australian goalscorer. Women’s achievements in sport are worthy of all celebration and when someone is as iconic as Kerr, hell yes we acknowledge it,’ one fan wrote on social media.
Kerr’s stance on Slater’s article is hugely important for women’s sport.
Arsenal and Matildas star Steph Catley revealed the sad truth that she didn’t have a female role model, such was the lack of a visible presence or genuine respect for female athletes.
‘When I grew up, I didn’t even know who the Matildas were. It just wasn’t on the TV, and all my [sporting] role models were men,’ she said on the Disney+ documentary.
‘If anyone asks me, “Who was your female sporting idol growing up?” I can’t answer it because I didn’t have [one].
‘So that’s the main thing now – inspiring that next generation and showing girls that they can do whatever they want to do.’
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