West Ham and France defender Kurt Zouma has sparked controversy as a video of him hitting his cat has started circulating on social media.
The video was shot at the player's home by his hilarious brother, and relayed by the tabloid The Sun, shows Zouma giving, among other things, a violent kick to his cat.
At West Ham, the player has been told there will be sequels.
A video obtained by The Sun allegedly shows footballer Kurt Zouma kicking and hitting his cat.
It's absolutely disgusting and disturbing footage.
I hope he is prosecuted for animal cruelty.
pic.twitter.com/3K7xMeHh5j
— Emily Hewertson 🇬🇧 (@emilyhewertson) February 7, 2022
The Birmingham club, which the former Stéphanois joined last summer, quickly released their claws: “West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player, Kurt Zouma, in the video that has circulated.
We have spoken to Kurt and will handle the matter internally, but would like to make it clear that we do not condone animal cruelty in any way.
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“I want to apologize for my actions, reacted the 27-year-old player.
There are no excuses for my behavior, which I sincerely regret.
I also want to say how sorry I am to everyone who was upset by the video.
I want to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy.
They are loved and cherished by our entire family, and this behavior was an isolated incident that will not happen again.
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According to The Sun, Zouma, who has just returned from injury, lost his temper after the poor feline “accidentally broke some kind of vase and ripped a light fixture from the kitchen cupboard.
Not enough to whip a cat, then.
It is even more incomprehensible that the ex-Chelsea player is the sponsor of an association for the defense of feline victims of violence, the French endowment fund Seed.
The attackers now face a prison sentence of up to 5 years according to English justice.