Australia’s team has been tight-lipped all week about the status of its star striker Sam Kerr, who was ruled out of the first two games of the World Cup last week with what team officials referred to as a calf injury.
Australian officials said at the time that Kerr’s injury would be reassessed after the second game of the group stage on Thursday, and in doing so held out hope she would return to the field.
But one of Kerr’s teammates, the 21-year-old midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross, caused a stir on Monday when she told reporters at Australia’s camp that Kerr had a torn calf muscle — a far more serious injury that would almost certainly rule Kerr out of the tournament.
“It’s unfortunate that Sam tore her calf before the game,” Cooney-Cross told reporters. “But I think, as a team, we’re just focusing on Nigeria. Sam’s doing her own thing to get back as quick as possible and that’s also important.”
Team officials immediately try to row back Cooney-Cross’s statement. A team press officer said in a text message that Cooney-Cross had misspoken, using “inaccurate wording as a young player” and “colloquial language rather…
