Although Premier League season may be over, there are still legal battles that one of the West Ham United F.C. defenders must still endure. Kurt Zoumna has been ordered to serve 180 hours of community service after a video of him kicking and slapping his pet cat surfaced. District Judge Susan Holdham called Zouma’s actions “disgraceful and reprehensible” while the sentence was being delivered. In a video taken by Zouma’s younger brother Yoan Zouma, Zouma was seen kicking his Bengal cat across his kitchen, before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head. The video posted to Snapchat also led to a suspension for Yoan by fifth-tier club Dagenham and a sentence of 140 hours of community service.
The incident came to light in February, leading to a maximum two-week salary fine for Zouma, plus a loss of a sponsorship deal with Adidas. West Ham also stated that the money from Zouma’s fine went to charities benefiting animal welfare. “West Ham wishes to make clear that we condemn in the strongest terms any form of animal abuse or cruelty, This type of behavior is unacceptable and is not in line with the values of the football club,” it said in a statement.
Following the judges ruling the club stated, “Kurt admitted at the earliest opportunity that what he did was wrong. He has apologized without reservation. We hope that now the court has reached its decision, everyone will allow Kurt the chance to learn from his mistake and move on.”
Along with the community service, Zouma has also been banned from owning any pet cats for the next five years. As for Zouma’s two pet cats, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took both of his cats into custody following the incident.
Zouma has been with West Ham since August 2021, scoring one goal and recording one assist in 30 appearances for the club.
