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The scandal surrounding the video that went viral showing French international Kurt Zouma abusing his cat took on a new dimension on Wednesday, the day after the player signed with West Ham for a league match. Criticized by the mayor of London, whistled by his own fans and dropped by his supplier Adidas, the player was finally sanctioned by his club.
The controversy around the video showing French international Kurt Zouma hitting his cat was gaining momentum on Wednesday in England: almost 200,000 people demanded lawsuits, his cats were taken away from him and his supplier Adidas broke its contract with him.
His club West Ham handed him the “heaviest possible” fine on Wednesday. Such a sanction usually corresponds to a two-week withdrawal of the footballer’s salary, or about 300, 000 euros in his case.
For its part, the supplier Adidas has decided to break the contract linking him with the Lyon-born defender. “We have closed our investigation and we can confirm that Kurt Zouma is no longer an athlete under contract with Adidas,” the three-stripe brand said in an email to AFP.
The British public was outraged to see the 27-year-old player kick his cat, throw a shoe at him and slap him while he had taken refuge in the arms of a child.
“In the UK we have laws against animal abuse, laws that should apply to everyone, rich or poor, famous or not! We call on the Metropolitan Police and the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to carry out an urgent investigation and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act,” the petition, which had exceeded 220,000 signatures by evening, said.
Shortly after the release of the video, Kurt Zouma and the club had conflated in apology, but the player’s tenure the same evening, for a league match against Watford, had revived the controversy even more.
The Vitality insurance company has suspended a “welfare” partnership with West Ham saying it was “extremely disappointed by the lack of judgment” from the club. “Experience Kissimmee”, a resort in Florida, called Zouma’s presence on the field “heartbreaking” and announced that he would review his financial ties with the club.
“That’s how your cat feels”
Kurt Zouma was conspired throughout the match by the fans, including sometimes his team, and when he complained of pain after a foul by an opponent, some even sang “this is how your cat feels”.
Hammers manager David Moyes had defended his decision by explaining that he needed his best players, with the London club struggling for Champions League qualification.
But the case went all the way back to the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who called the actions of the former Chelsea player “despicable” and said he was “disappointed” by the coach and managers.
By mid-afternoon, the club announced the fine against the player. “The player immediately accepted it and asked that the amount be paid to an animal rights organization”, after having “of his own free will [remis] the family’s two cats to the RSPCA for examination,” West Ham pleaded.
Anyone who mistreats an animal in such a blatant and intolerable way must suffer the consequences of their actions. We therefore ask Didier Deschamps to deselect Kurt Zouma from the French team.https://t.co/0eempxCNTj
— PETA France (@PETA_France) February 9, 2022
In France, too, the outrage has been intense. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, the 30 Million Friends Foundation and the SPA have decided to file a complaint. “Although the offense is located in England, we believe that we have a prejudice, because it is visible in France,” Jacques-Charles Fombonne, president of the SPA, told AFP.
“Free, stupid and mean”, according to Noël Le Graët
In a letter to the French Football Federation, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, the president of the SPA calls for “a swift and exemplary sanction” on the sporting front and wants him to “never appear in the ranks of the French team again”.
Noël Le Graët, president of the French Federation (FFF), judged in a statement sent to AFP that the player’s behavior was “gratuitous, stupid and mean”, but noted the apology of a “boy known for being respectful”. He did not mention any measures against him.
Kurt Zouma has eleven caps for the French national team and was part of the last gathering of Les Bleus in November 2021. He was also included in the list of players selected last summer for the Euro, but did not play a single match.
With AFP