West Ham donations from Kurt Zouma fine to help Ukraine
One of the charities that has benefited from the donations made by West Ham after fining Kurt Zouma will help in Ukraine reports Henry Winter.
According to their website War Paws works to alleviate the suffering of animals primarily in Iraq, but helps in areas of conflicts around the world They have been fundraising to help in Ukraine, where they say they are supporting trusted partners in the country with food, supplies and fuel.
The Hammers fined defender Zouma after video emerged of him kicking his cat on social media early last month, and pledged to donate it to animal welfare charities.
The club confirmed this morning that financial donations had been made, and The Times writer Winter provided additional information on Twitter, saying: “Nine animal charities receiving donations from West Ham club fine of Kurt Zouma for kicking his cat.
“Includes the incredible War Paws who get supplies into war-zones including Ukraine and evacuate animals from there.”
Silver lining
At least some good can come from what started off as an upsetting negative story and snowballed into further controversy.
French defender Zouma apologised for his actions, but David Moyes’ decision not to remove him from the line-up for the subsequent match with Watford fanned the flames.
The outrage reached a point where questions were raised as to why the same level of opprobrium wasn’t directed at other targets and other issues.
Hammers forward Michail Antonio contrasted the reaction to that which results from racial abuse incidents when speaking to Sky Sports.
Zouma and his brother are currently set to be prosecuted by the RSPCA.
While not the only target for the charity donations, fans will be pleased to hear how the money can help the situation in Ukraine slightly.
The country was invaded a month ago by Russia, and Irons forward Andriy Yarmolenko has spoken of being in tears after having sent his family to Kyiv a day earlier (via Metro).
After being away from the team on compassionate leave due to the conflict, the 32-year-old returned to score two emotional goals in victories over Aston Villa and Sevilla.
In other West Ham news, one Hammer has been “exiled” from the squad and branded a “disaster”.
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