Kurt Zuma should be ready for any possible reception tonight at Ramon Sanchez Pijuan, with his side West Ham hosting Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final.
It has nothing to do with the fact that he almost signed with Andalusia this summer as part of a deal that was supposed to send Jules Conde to Chelsea, but rather because since a video was released on the network showing the hammer brake hitting his cats - he has become a target of fans and even rival players.
Aside from the contempt whistles he absorbs whenever the ball is under his control, Watford fans sang to him after every offense he suffered: "This is how your cats feel," Newcastle fans waved inflatable cat dolls at him, Magpies striker Chris Wood howled at him "meow" whenever they were close , And Banfield hovered a plane in the sky with the sign "Cats lives matter".
It is not inconceivable that even in Spain the French stopper will be reminded of the horrible deed he did.
A month has passed since the incident.
Zuma immediately released an apology video in which he said: "I want to apologize to everyone who was harmed by the video, and I assure everyone that both cats are healthy and intact."
West Ham were also quick to release a statement: "The team condemns the player's actions. We have spoken with Kurt, and we will take care of the situation within the club. However, we make it clear again that we are against any kind of animal injury."
England stormed in those days.
Public criticism was very great, and animal organizations were outraged and demanded immediate response and punishment.
Sponsors linked to the club have announced that they are considering further engagement with the team following Zuma's videos, and local police have also intervened at some point.
In the end, not much happened.
Zuma was fined two weeks' salary and lost his adoption contract with Adidas, but the Hammers gave him a backlash.
Striker Michael Antonio wondered if the media and the general public would invest the same energy to punish a player who made racist chants, while coach David Moyes condemned the actions but made it clear that Zuma would be available to play.
Great stuff by @GregTwomey_ paid for a plane to fly over Anfield yesterday with "Cats life's Matter" being displayed #lfc #nufc #Zouma pic.twitter.com/Guc6WqWyeC
- Sean Casey (@ caseysean51) March 6, 2022
And really, already in the next game against Watford Zuma started in the squad, forcing Moyes to explain: "I understand the criticism towards me, but I know my moral compass."
Since: An increase in abuse
could be that the moral compass of West Ham and Moyes has changed direction a bit in light of the phenomenon that Zuma has created.
Following his video, in recent weeks there has been a sharp increase in the number of imitators uploading similar videos of beating cats to the net and calling themselves "Kick the cat club".
The phenomenon is very worrying, and tremendous efforts are being made to stop it by the police and other bodies.
Zuma.
Created a disgusting network phenomenon, Photo: Reuters
Nick Travero, one of the leaders of the Cat Protection Organization, told The Sun this week: "We ask the people who do this for entertainment, to stop immediately. The damage is great and significant."
Meanwhile, Zuma continues to face public criticism in every West Ham game and in every stadium he comes to, while at the same time being the target of animal organizations.
For them, the conviction of the 27-year-old French stopper could lead to a solution to an epidemic that started in him.
Therefore, since the case they have been trying to convict him.
In recent days there seems to be significant progress on the matter.
After more than 300,000 signed a petition demanding the brake be penalized, this week the investigation by animal organizations - which examined the cats to find out if the abuse was routine - ended and West Ham began to internalize that its brake might soon be prosecuted and punished.
It is still unclear what price Zuma will pay for his actions, but in the meantime he will continue with the new routine of life he has created for himself.
On the grass brake hammers, in the stands abusing cats.
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