As the world turns on Kurt Zouma and his club Westham United for abusing his pet cat, Reggae Boy striker Michail Antonio is hoping his teammate does not lose his livelihood of playing professional football.
Zouma was fined £250,000 (US$339,000) – equal to two weeks’ pay – after a video filmed by his brother showed him kicking and slapping his family pet. Following the news, Adidas reportedly confirmed that “Zouma is no longer an Adidas contracted athlete.”
Meanwhile, Westham United, which chose to play him on Tuesday night in their 1-0 Premier League win over Watford, has had their official wellness partner Vitality suspend its contract with the club over the video.
Antonio’s response was somewhat telling, commenting on Sky Sports after his teammate Zouma was booed by spectators at the game.
“I’m not condoning a thing that he’s done. I don’t agree with what he has done at all. But there’s people that have been convicted and been caught for racism and have played football afterwards.”
“They got an eight-game punishment or something like that, but people are now calling for people to be sacked and to lose their livelihood.”
“I’ve just got to ask this question to everyone out there: Is what he’s [Zouma] done worse than what the people convicted of racism done?”
Zouma, who plays for France internationally, has apologized for the incident and says he will donate the money from his fine to animal charities.
While manager David Moyes said he opted to play Zouma for football reasons, he could not hide his disgust over the incident; also knowing that he is central to their football program.
“I was really disappointed with what I saw and what I was told. But overall, my job tonight was to get a win for West Ham. Of course, there are people who are disappointed with that, and I understand that totally.”
A spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) says it has taken Zouma’s pet cats into care.
On Thursday, English fifth-tier club Dagenham & Redbridge confirmed that Zouma’s brother Yoan, who filmed the video, has been dropped while an RSPCA investigation continues.
Another club sponsor, Experience Kissimmee, also said it ended its sponsorship after learning the player had started Tuesday’s game.
