West Ham fine Kurt Zouma ‘maximum amount possible’ after cat abuse videos, RSPCA involved
West Ham have fined defender Kurt Zouma two weeks wages and will donate the money to animal welfare charities, the club has said.
Video emerged this week of the Hammers defender kicking and slapping one of his cats, leading to widespread condemnation, although the Frenchman was selected to start against Watford last night.
TalkSPORT reported earlier today that the club felt “vindicated” in the decision, having secured a tight 1-0 Premier League victory.
The RSPCA has said the former Chelsea star’s two pet cats are now in the charity’s care for tests on their wellbeing (BBC).
In a statement on their website today however (Wednesday, February 9), the club said: “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 and has requested that it is donated to animal welfare charities.”
Mixed signals
The club seems to want to have it both ways, condemning the actions of their player while not letting it inconvenience them at all.
Unfortunately, time and time again in football, the behaviour of players outside of the confines of the club are deemed to be excusable provided the player can be useful on the pitch.
There needs to be an element of rehabilitation to punishment, and blanket policy of bombing players out of a job if they do wrong doesn’t really help the wider issue.
But putting out statements and withholding wages, while at the same time keeping Zouma in the starting line-up on the very day the news came out appears to show how they really feel.
Football is a business that relies on fans and their financial support, either directly, or indirectly through media money.
So the message a club sends out to the public is relevant in a way some other businesses might be able to claim it isn’t.
The “further sanction” they refer to will be interesting to discover, but it would have been the easiest thing in the world to drop the defender for one match to at least begin to show how his actions were unacceptable, before any investigations needed completing.
In other West Ham news, Gary Lineker slammed the club after the events of last night.