French footballer Kurt Zouma has been found guilty of abusing a cat

Published on 01/06/2022 08:47

London, UK- A British court sentenced French international defender Kurt Zouma on Wednesday (1) to provide 180 hours of community service for abusing his cat, after posting a video that went viral on social networks and caused outrage.

A London court also banned the 27-year-old from London club West Ham from having a cat for five years. Zuma pleaded guilty to kicking and hitting his pet.

Judge Susan Holdham called his actions “shameful and reprehensible”.

The video clip in which he was seen kicking and hitting his cat with his hand was recorded on February 6 and shared on Snapchat by his younger brother Yuan, 24, who is also a soccer player.

During Zuma’s appearance in court on May 24, prosecutor Hazel Stevens explained that the actions occurred after the cats damaged a chair. According to him, after the video was published, there was an “increase in the number of people who assaulted cats and posted pictures on various social networking sites.”

West Ham did not stop the player, who was involved in a match on the night the case arose, sparking outrage.

His club eventually fined the player 300,000 euros ($321,000), and sportswear maker Adidas ran out of a sponsorship deal with him.

West Ham confirmed, according to the information in his possession, that the cats “did not suffer any physical injuries.”