Chelsea condemn 'hateful homophobic comments' directed to Sam Kerr and fiancée Kristie Mewis, as Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman hits out at 'disappointing' messages

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Chelsea Football Club and Sarina Wiegman have hit out at 'hateful homophobic comments' published on social media that were directed to their forward Sam Kerr and her partner Kristie Mewis, who plays for West Ham.

The Matilda's star and the USA international announced on Monday that they were expecting their first child, revealing the exciting news by posting a series of heartwarming photographs on Instagram.

In the pictures, Kerr, 31, and Mewis, 33, who have been engaged since last year, smiled and shared a kiss as they posed for pictures with one of Mewis' scan photos.

The pair captioned the Instagram post: 'Mewis-Kerr baby coming 2025!'

While many took to the social media platform to congratulate the WSL stars, some social media users published some distasteful and nasty comments under the post.

The barrage of hateful comments had prompted the football stars to turn off the comments on their Instagram post.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, a spokesperson for Chelsea FC said: 'Chelsea Football Club is aware of recent unacceptable and hateful homophobic comments published across various social media platforms.

Sam Kerr and fiancee Kristie Mewis took to social media on Monday to announce they were expecting a baby with a series of heartwarming photos (pictured)

But the pair have sadly received widespread abuse online following their announcement  

Chelsea FC have since condemned the 'hateful homophobic comments' in a statement to Mail Sport

'There is no place in society for any form of discrimination and we will not accept any abuse directed towards our players, staff or supporters.

The spokesperson added: 'We are extremely proud to be a diverse, inclusive club that celebrates and welcomes people from all cultures, communities and identities.'

A spokesperson for West Ham told Daily Mail Australia: 'West Ham United continues to be unequivocal in its stance - we have a zero-tolerance approach to homophobia and discrimination of any form.

'We urge social media platforms to take greater accountability in tackling ongoing and sustained discriminatory abuse online.

'We would like to focus on celebrating this special moment with Kristie and her partner Sam, and to share our heartfelt wishes to the both of them on their pregnancy news.'

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman was also pressed on the matter during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, with the England boss also expressing her 'disappointment' at the abuse.

'Unfortunately, that's part of our world I guess,' Wiegman said to reporters. 

'[It] should be. Very, very disappointing.

'I'm very happy for them,' she said speaking on Kerr and Mewis.

'So congratulations to them. They are really happy, they look really happy and I hope everything goes well.'

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman was also pressed on the matter during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, with the England boss also expressing her 'disappointment' at the abuse

A Chelsea LGBTQ+ group has hit out at the abuse the football stars have received online 

Some social media users had expressed their confusion over the post, writing 'How?' while other users had written comments such as 'nonsense'.

One wrote: 'I don't really know what to comment for love and respect I have for you but come on, you ladies should just stop deceiving yourselves.'

It comes as a Chelsea LGBTQ+ supporters group has also lashed out at some of the abuse the pair received.

In a statement issued on X (formerly Twitter), Chelsea Pride wrote: 'Homophobia has no place in football, at Chelsea, or in our society,' the statement read.

'It's heartbreaking and infuriating to see social media flooded with hateful comments when we should be celebrating love, pride, and unity.

'Over the weekend and today, our club was forced to shut down comments and even delete posts, posts that should have been shining moments of joy, from the powerful symbolism of Rainbow Laces to the incredible news that Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis will welcome a child in 2025.

Mewis, who plays for West Ham, and Kerr, who plays for Chelsea, captioned the post: 'Mewis-Kerr baby coming 2025!'

The couple have since turned off comments on their post after they received some hurful messages from members of the public

Kerr and Mewis met back in 2019, but their relationship was not made public until 2021

Some social media users took to Instagram to write: 'Bro what is my striker doing' and 'ridiculous' on the pictures

'"No to Hate" isn't just a slogan; it's a battle cry. It's a reminder that we must keep fighting for what is right, for true acceptance, and for a game that embraces everyone without exception.

'We refuse to stand by in silence.

'At Chelsea Pride, we stand against every act of homophobia with unwavering strength and passion. We fight for a football world where every player, fan and family can live openly and be celebrated, without fear or prejudice.

'This is our game, our club and our unwavering commitment: Hate will never win here. We will always stand for love, unity and an inclusive future for football.'

Despite many unsavoury comments on social media, the WSL stars have received a plethora of well wishes from sports stars and fans, with Aussie superstar Mary Fowler and Lionesses stars Fran Kirby and Chloe Kelly all issuing their congratulations.