Kurt Zouma is going through difficult times.
For a week, the name of the French defender of West Ham has been tossed about because of a case of animal abuse.
Sanctioned financially by his club, dropped by his equipment supplier Adidas, scolded by Didier Deschamps, the international had also been booed with each ball taken this week in his own stadium in London.
This Sunday, he was to know a new tenure in Leicester despite the extent of the controversy.
At the last minute, the former Saint-Étienne and Chelsea player finally forfeited.
"Issa Diop will replace Kurt Zouma in the starting lineup because he felt bad" during the warm-up, the club simply explained on its Twitter account.
Kurt Zouma, who was originally due to play, will ultimately not start against Leicester ❌
The French would have felt bad during the warm-up 🤒
▶️ https://t.co/SvrNRkpXf1 pic.twitter.com/rp4ineWCq5
– Canal Football Club (@CanalFootClub) February 13, 2022
Impossible to establish a direct link with the scandal which affects him and his brother, author of the video by which the storm was formed.
A chat in which Zouma strikes with his foot and then with his hand as in a common object, all in front of his child's eyes.
Here is a summary of the subject of the controversy.
Read alsoAnimal abuse: how Kurt Zouma became the most hated player in England and France
Hundreds of thousands of people have demanded legal action against the footballer online while his two cats have been taken away from him.
Caught in the scandal, Zouma quickly apologized: “I 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,” he explained.
This Saturday, the vice-president of the London club came to his defense, saying in a forum that his player deserved a second chance.
"I believe we live in a society in which the vast majority of people still value the basic human qualities of forgiveness and redemption," said Karren Brady.
As a club, we will work hard alongside Kurt to make sure his remorse and regret turn something negative into a positive.
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