She is probably the most famous female athlete in Australia. A beloved - and extremely bankable - role model, who helped unite Australia last year, when she led the Matildas into the World Cup semi-finals.

So when news surfaced, last week, that Matilda’s captain Sam Kerr had been charged with using a racist slur in England, the fallout was swift. There were questions about her future in the sport and her leadership of the Australian team.

But people also questioned the likelihood of Kerr, who is not only of Indian heritage, but is also gay, harassing someone. Let alone a white police officer.

Today, Europe Correspondent, Rob Harris, on how this story broke, and University of Sydney professor of social work and policy studies, Jioji Ravulo, on whether it’s possible to racially abuse someone for being white.

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