The images of footballer Kurt Zouma torturing his cat do not pass. It’s Adidas’ turn to drop it. The player’s equipment supplier announces this Wednesday evening to break his contract. Earlier in the day, a petition calling for legal action against the French international defender, published on the change.org platform, garnered almost 200,000 signatures and the local SPA removed his cats. The text, in French and English, is entitled:Pursue Kurt Zouma and immediately take all his animals to safety!”
“In the UK we have laws against animal abuse, laws that should apply to everyone, rich or poor, famous or not! We call on the Metropolitan Police and the RSPCA to urgently investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act.”explains the text of the petition.
Animal cruelty can be punished by 5 years in prison in the UK. In France, the law against animal abuse, definitively adopted in November, provides for up to three years in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros for the fact, publicly or not, of carrying out serious abuse or committing an act cruelty to a domestic animal.
Fined by his club
In the meantime, it is his British club West Ham which announced this Wednesday afternoon that it had inflicted on its defender the “largest possible fine”. The maximum fine a club can impose on their player is usually two weeks’ wages, which in the case of Kurt Zouma would amount to nearly €300,000 in total. “The player immediately accepted the fine and demanded that the amount be donated to an animal rights organization”says the club.
Will this be enough to silence the criticism against the London formation, booed for having let the 27-year-old player play a league match against Watford on Tuesday evening? “It’s despicablereacted the mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Sky Sports. I think a number of things need to be done urgently. I think the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and the police need to work together and prosecute this player.Labor appeals in particular to the exemplary nature of public figures.
During the game, Kurt Zouma had no respite. Taken aback by fans, including some from his club, Zouma was jeered at all game and, when he went down after a foul by an opponent, some fans even chanted: “This is how your cat feels”.
Sponsor sorry
Assuring that he loved “lots of animals”Hammers manager David Moyes has defended his decision to start the Frenchman by explaining that he needs to field his best players, West Ham are currently in the fight for qualification for the very lucrative Champions League.
One of West Ham’s sponsors, ‘Experience Kissimmee’, a holiday resort in Florida, has announced that it will review its financial ties with the club. ‘To see that player Kurt Zouma was in West Ham’s starting XI last night was heartbreaking’, writes the company on its Twitter account, claiming to have asked the club for clarification. The France team is also under pressure, coach Didier Deschamps having been told by some not to call the defender trained in Saint-Etienne.
Update : added this Wednesday evening at 6:18 p.m. of the end of the Adidas contract and the withdrawal by the local SPA of its cats.