Sam Kerr drops a pitch invader during Chelsea’s Champions League draw with Juventus.
Kerr kept her eyes on him for several seconds before deciding to take the initiative herself,flooring the man with a perfectly executed bump that instantly evoked comparisons to Andrew Symonds’ hit on a streaker during a one-day cricket international in 2008.
Speaking on Fox Sports’ coverage of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane,Symonds said:“We’re obviously bred pretty tough here in Australia and don’t take backwards steps. Sammy obviously took things into her own hands when security couldn’t catch the bloke,so good for her. She’s an icon and obviously knows how to handle herself. I’d like to buy her a beer and chat about it.”
The Matildas skipper was yellow-carded by the referee for her actions;the laws of the game recommend a caution for ‘unsporting behaviour’,a category this incident probably fell under.
“I was actually wondering who was going to stop him,” Andreatta said. “I guess when you see things like that,it’s about player safety. I just hope as our game gets bigger and bigger ... I know everyone’s doing the best they can,but things like that[should be] avoided,full stop,or prevented much sooner than what we saw,just for the fact that you don’t know what a person could do in that situation.
Samantha Kerr in action against Juventus.Credit:Getty
“People have already talked about the[Symonds] incident with the cricket. We know more serious outcomes have happened in tennis many years ago with situations that occurred involving Monica Seles. The main learning from all this is how to avoid it in the future and make sure everyone can go to a football game,enjoy it,be safe and go away happy for their team that they’ve got three points in the bag.”
The incident was not broadcast but a video taken by a fan at London’s Kingsmeadow,where Chelsea’s women play their home games,quickly went viral when it was posted on social media several hours later.