Worrying twist in Sam Kerr's iconic pitch invader moment

Sam Kerr's shoulder charge on a pitch invader cemented the football star's place in Aussie sporting folklore, albeit earning the Chelsea striker a yellow card for her troubles.

The incident made headlines around the world and even former Australia cricket star Andrew Symonds - whose own streaker moment in 2008 saw him become a legend - hailed the Matildas captain and offered to buy her a beer.

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However, while Kerr was booked by the referee, the vagaries of English football laws mean the pitch invader will escape police arrest.

Warning: the following clip contains offensive language

The Athletic reports that the man won't face legal ramifications for his act because the law enacted to curtail disorderly fan conduct at football matches in the UK does not apply to the women's competition.

Kerr was given a yellow card and the club suspended the fan but the Metropolitan Police department confirmed that no arrest was made, even though Section 4 of the Football (Offences) Act of 1991 would seem to allow for such an arrest.

The law states: “It is an offence for a person at a designated football match to go onto the playing area, or any area adjacent to the playing area to which spectators are not generally admitted, without lawful authority or lawful excuse [which shall be for him to prove].”

The key term is "designated football match." By the provision enacted in 2004, a designated match is one in "which one or both of the teams represents a club which is a member of the English Football League, the Premier League, the Football Conference or the League of Wales, or represents a country or territory."

The list excludes women's games completely, therefore the fan who walked onto the pitch is not in violation of the law and did not commit an offence that could lead to arrest.

It's another example of women's exclusion from the general sport conversation, and it creates a potentially dangerous loophole.

Incident sparks call for better player protection

It's understood a group of British MPs have written to the UK sports minister to demand the loophole be closed.

While no harm was done in the incident that saw Kerr lauded around the world, it could have ended considerably worse.

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes raised concerns with reporters after the match, noting that with the growth of the women's game and players becoming superstars, their safety needs to become a priority.

“We do have to think about player safety,” Hayes said.

“We’ve seen in the growth of the game there is this sense of the players being more in demand. It should serve as a reminder to us all in our stadiums and with our stewards we’ve got to put player protection first.”

It capped a frustrating match for Chelsea in the Champions League, who were unable to breach their Italian visitors - who are coached by former Arsenal boss, Australian Joe Montemurro.

The Blues, who failed to score for the first time this season, still top Group A - three points clear of Wolfsburg, who they meet on Matchday 6 on December 16, and Juventus while Servette are yet to get off the mark.

with agencies

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