West Ham defender, Kurt Zouma Dropped By Adidas After Disturbing Video Of Him KIcking His Cat Surfaces
Adidas has dropped West Ham defender Kurt Zouma after a video of the Frenchman kicking and hitting his cat surfaced on Tuesday.
The RSPCA confiscated Kurt Zouma’s pets after unsettling footage of him aggressively abusing them was discovered. The player has also been fined £250,000 by West Ham United.
The video, which was posted to Snapchat on Sunday, depicted a series of violent, stomach-turning deeds directed at Zouma’s cats.
Despite starting Tuesday’s win against Watford, West Ham has fined Zouma, and Essex Police have confirmed that they are investigating, with more than 150,000 people signing a petition demanding that he be prosecuted.
Adidas Terminates Zouma’s contract
In addition to the West Ham punishment, Zouma has been terminated by Adidas, which confirmed on Wednesday that the defender will no longer be working with the brand.
“We have concluded our investigation and can confirm Kurt Zouma is no longer an Adidas contracted player,” the company said in a statement.
West Ham immediately criticised the event before later confirming on February 9 that the player had been punished the “maximum amount” for his actions.
Zouma’s statement
“I want to apologise for my actions,” Zouma said in a statement released shortly after the video was released. ‘’There are no justifications for my actions, which I deeply regret’’.
“I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video. I would like to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy.
“They are loved and cherished by our entire family, and this behaviour was an isolated incident that will not happen again.”