Kurt Zouma West Ham player has been fined 250000 pounds, a 2 weeks’ wage, and his Adidas endorsement taken away after a video of him kicking a cat emerged online.
West ham sponsor Vitality has suspended the partnership with the club over handling of the matter.
The video which was recorded by his younger brother Yoan Zouma has received criticism from animal conservationists as pressure mounts on West Ham to drop the star.
The cats have been taken away and this could see Zouma jailed for up to 4 years in France under the new animal welfare laws which were introduced last year.
More than 250,000 people have signed an online petition on Charge.org to have Zouma prosecuted amid a growing public backlash.
Yoan has been suspended by Dagenham and Redbridge FC. “The team condemns any form of animal cruelty and therefore the team has decided that Yoan will not play in any competitive match until RSPCA completes the investigation,” the team said.
Zouma teammate Michail Antonio has questioned the logic in which people are calling for the player to be sacked asking if what he did was worse than racism.
“I don’t condone Zouma’s actions but why should those guilty of racism get a second chance to continue in their football careers after a ban while Zouma loses his football career,” he asked.
Zouma who has already apologized was fined the ‘maximum amount possible’ has accepted the fine which will be donated to animal welfare charities.