West Ham United’s French international defender Kurt Zouma has been fined by the English Premier League club and is facing an investigation from the UK’s leading animal welfare charity after a video emerged online that showed him kicking and slapping a cat.
On Wednesday, West Ham released a statement on its website, saying Zouma and the club are “co-operating fully” with an investigation by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) — the UK’s leading animal welfare charity. The statement added “the player has willingly complied with the steps taken in the initial stage of the process, including delivering his family’s two cats to the RSPCA for assessment.” The fine and RSPCA investigation comes after Zouma was filmed seemingly hurling shoes at his pet cat, slapping it across the face, chasing it around the room and kicking it across the floor in what looks to be a private residence. The video was first published by the Sun newspaper on Monday. Laughter could be heard in the background of the footage. CNN has not independently verified the video. West Ham added that the French defender is “extremely remorseful and, like everyone at the club, fully understands the depth of feeling surrounding the incident and the need for action to be taken.
