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West Ham defender, Kurt Zouma has been fined two weeks wages by the club over a video of him kicking and slapping his pet cat.
Zouma was seen in the video kicking the cat, before slapping it, and then chasing it around the house. The video has attracted heavy criticism in the English media and has now earned the defender a two week fine.
Zouma who earns £125,000 per week will part with two weeks wages which equals £250,000
While there were suggestions that the France international should have been suspended, he featured for all 90 minutes in West Ham’s 1-0 win against Watford last night.
The club came under heavy criticism for fielding the player in the midst of the controversy as calls continue to grow for his outright sack from the club.
Former Premier League goalkeeper, Chris Kirkland shared similar sentiments saying Zouma should get the same treatment as those who racially abuse players, considering that the cat was a defenseless animal.
The club said it has fined the defender the maximum amount possible which is two weeks according to PFA rules and the money will be donated to animal welfare charities, even as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, RSPCA, have now taken possession of the cat.
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A statement on the club’s website reads: “West Ham United can confirm that the Club is supporting an RSPCA investigation into the actions of Kurt Zouma in the video circulated online this week.
“Kurt and the Club are co-operating fully with the investigation and 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. Kurt 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.
“Separate to the RSPCA’s investigation and pending further sanction once the outcome of that process is determined, West Ham United can confirm that Kurt Zouma has been fined the maximum amount possible following his actions in the video that circulated. The player has immediately accepted the fine, which both he and the Club agreed will be donated to animal welfare charities.
“West Ham United would like to reiterate our condemnation of Kurt’s actions and make it clear that the matter continues to be handled with the utmost seriousness. However, we believe it is now important to allow the RSPCA to conduct their investigation in a fair and thorough manner, and will be making no further comment at this stage.”
In a related response, club sponsor, Vitality has suspended their sponsorship of the club, condeming animal cruelty of any kind.
