Kurt Zouma fined 'maximum amount' by West Ham after mistreating his cat
West Ham defender Kurt Zouma has been dropped by his sponsor Adidas after a sickening video of him abusing a cat emerged this week. The 27-year-old has been slammed for his actions after footage showed him kicking, slapping and throwing a shoe at the feline.
“We have concluded our investigation and can confirm Kurt Zouma is no longer an Adidas contracted athlete,” a statement from Adidas read on Wednesday.
Zouma has been a key player for the Hammers this season but came under fire from members of the public and animal rights campaigners after his brother Yoan posted the vile video to Snapchat.
The former Chelsea star can also be seen chasing the feline and is seemingly unbothered by the fact a child is also present in one section of the footage.
Laughter can be heard in the video and it is captioned ‘sa commence’, which means ‘it is starting’.
Adidas had already released an initial statement after Zouma’s behaviour had come to light as they called the video “deeply upsetting”.
“We are aware of a deeply upsetting video circulating online,” read a statement from the company on Tuesday.
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“We were very distressed by the video we have seen of Kurt Zouma,” read a statement from Vitality.
“At Vitality, we condemn animal cruelty and violence of any kind.
“We are hugely disappointed by the judgement subsequently shown by the club in response to this incident, and as such, we are suspending our sponsorship of West Ham with immediate effect.
“We will now be further engaging with the club to understand what actions they will be taking to address the situation.”
West Ham selected Kurt Zouma for their match with Watford after he was shown abusing a cat on video (Image: GETTY)
Despite West Ham’s decision to play Zouma, the club said they have fined him the “maximum amount” they are allowed to - two weeks’ wages.
That equates to around £250,000 and the money is set to go to animal welfare charities.
Meanwhile, police are investigating the incident, while Zouma has had his cats taken off him by the RSPCA.