Kurt Zouma animal abuse: Punishment, Sponsors, Media and Reaction
By Alex Smith
On Monday night, on the eve of West Ham’s game at home to Watford, a shocking video emerged of Hammers star Kurt Zouma kicking and slapping his pet cat.
The video was completely disgusting and the Frenchman’s actions were swiftly condemned by West Ham.
When team news was announced the following evening for the Premier League fixture there was surprise as Zouma was named in the starting XI. There has been plenty of reaction to what should happen to him and what has happened. There is much to discuss.
A video has emerged of West Ham defender Kurt Zouma physically abusing his pet cat. There is plenty of controversy but has there been an overreaction or not?
The video
Let’s start with the clip itself – it’s disgraceful. How anybody could hurt an innocent animal is beyond everyone? Let alone to have it filmed by his brother and laugh about it, all while his kids are seen in the video too. Zouma had always come across as having a likeable personality during his time at Chelsea and now West Ham. It makes you question the true nature of celebrities and footballers that many youngster look up to. Football is a global game and the Premier League is watched millions worldwide, to think of this as a separate matter would be wrong – it damages the club as a brand.
He has apologised but fans on social media believed he only said sorry because he was caught and it was a PR move, he had to do. He could be genuinely remorseful but to abuse an animal says a lot about a man’s character and integrity.
The Club’s Response
He has been fined £250,000, which is the maximum fine West Ham are allowed to give him. The money will be given to an animal charity and the club is conducting an internal investigation. He has also had his cats taken away for assessment by the RSPCA.
Despite all this, West Ham manager, David Moyes, decided to play Zouma against Watford in a decision that split opinion amongst fans and the wider footballing world (and even spread as far as the non-football world).
Moyes has been criticised for playing him but said to BT Sport pre-match “The club will sort the other side of it out and I will look after the football side.”
This could be seen as an ill-advised decision though as it has only further put Zouma in the headlines rather than people moving on, playing him feels like a bit of a PR own goal.
The punishment what he can quite comfortably afford, as well as not spending any time out of the team doesn’t really feel enough. There is a chance he spends time in prison but it remains unlikely at this stage.
We will go into detail regarding sponsors later, but West Ham as a whole have suffered as Vitality UK have suspended their deal with the club, Experience Kissimmee have ended their relationship with the Hammers meanwhile Adidas have cut ties with Zouma.
In the Stadium
The Watford game was meant to be a night in tribute to Isla Caton, a young West Ham fan who recently passed away because of cancer aged just seven. However, the main talking point of the night was Zouma sadly.
In the match, West Ham beat the Hornets 1-0 to secure a big three points that leaves the Hammers in the all important 4th place at the moment. The incident aside, the 27-year-old played very well at the heart of the defence making a number of vital interceptions and tackles alongside the also solid Craig Dawson. I’m sure the situation was affecting Zouma but it really didn’t show on the pitch.
Inside the London Stadium there were boos every time the centre-back touched the ball from the travelling away fans who also chanted “that’s how your cat feels” when Zouma went down injured. There was also boos from sections of the West Ham support but funnily Irons fans often shout “Zou” when he gets the ball so if they were booing or not is up for debate.
Media Reaction
The response from the media to this has been remarkable. It has been headline news everywhere and discussed extensively on Twitter with many people from all walks of life sharing their views.
Some have called for Zouma to be sacked. Realistically, this won’t happen. Having signed for £25 million in the summer and being on massive wages; there is little chance West Ham get rid of their best defender. If he was a ‘normal’ member of society with a ‘normal’ job he would probably be fired. However, being a footballer is not normal, despite being a role model to many there is a financial side which will prevent him getting a harsher punishment. With all the money involved, Zouma is just too much of a big investment to lose – the club will feel. Football is a results business and without the centre-back playing West Ham suffer on the pitch, this shown in Moyes’ choice to not even take him out the team for one match.
The amount of media attention has been huge and there are certain elements to the story, despite plenty of justified anger towards the player, that there’s been an overreaction by some. West Ham fans are being questioned for continuing supporting their team on Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 show. On talkSPORT, ex-West Ham winger Trevor Sinclair, said Zouma has undone all the hard work West Ham put in to help Isla Caton battle cancer before she passed away. The help gave Isla more years of life and the most enjoyable life she could’ve had, to the thankfulness of her family who spoke in a video prior to kick-ff. Sinclair was criticised on Twitter for his comments.
In general, there is a feeling brewing online echoed by Hammers striker Michail Antonio that we have lost a sense of scale in the emotion of the story. He questioned the punishment given compared to those who have been found guilty of racism.
Go to the next page to continue reading about the media response, sponsorship, football’s wider problem with lacking morals and what will happen to West Ham and Zouma in the future.