Michail Antonio asks if Kurt Zouma cat-kicking act is worse than racism as he questions axe calls

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West Ham striker Michail Antonio has questioned why there are calls for team-mate Kurt Zouma to be sacked for kicking and slapping a cat when footballers convicted of racism are still allowed to play professionally. 

Zouma has faced a fierce backlash after he was film kicking the cat in his £2million mansion. Sponsors Adidas have already dumped him while other sponsors have withdrawn their support from West Ham because of their weak response to his behaviour and for continuing to pick him. 

Since the video was released on social media, Zouma has been hit with the maximum fine of two weeks’ wages by his club — £250,000, which will be donated to animal welfare charities.

But West Ham team-mate Antonio today questioned the fairness of the public response, asking why some footballers who have been convicted of racism haven’t faced similar calls to be sacked from the game and lose their livelihoods. 

‘I’ve got a question for you,’ Antonio responded when asked about Zouma’s actions as he drove into West Ham’s training ground this morning.

‘Do you think, what he’s done is worse than racism?

‘I’m not condoning a thing that he’s done – I don’t agree with a thing that he’s done at all. But there’s people that have been convicted in court for racism and that has played football afterwards. They got punished, they got a eight-game ban or something like that. 

‘But people are now calling for [Zouma] to be sacked, people to be sacked and lose their livelihood. I’ve just got to ask this question to everyone out there is, is what he’s done worse than what the people have done who have been convicted for racism?’ 

It’s not clear which racism court convictions Michail Antonio was referring to this morning, given that no high-profile footballers have ever been found guilty in criminal proceedings. 

Chelsea and England star John Terry was cleared in court of racially abusing fellow footballer Anton Ferdinand, after it was alleged he had described him as ‘black’ and used extreme sexual swear words.

And then-Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was given an eight-game ban and a £40,000 fine by the FA after an independent regulatory commission found the him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in 2011. The case did not go to court.

West Ham are also counting the cost of their controversial decision to stick by their man and start Zouma in Tuesday night’s Premier League match against Watford, with life insurance company Vitality suspending their £500,000-a-year sponsorship.

Sponsors including Experience Kissimmee and Yield App are now evaluating their relationship with the east London club. Umbro condemned the abuse which was caught on camera, while Heineken said they were ‘appalled’. 

Meanwhile, the RSPCA announced on Wednesday that they had seized the cats owned by Zouma, taking them in for a medical check-up. 

The pets will remain in their care until their investigation is complete and could yet be returned to the player. 

As well as his public apology, Zouma has apologised to his team-mates at their training ground. It is understood the £29.8million defender will be sent on an animal awareness course by his club as part of his punishment.

But as revealed by Sportsmail, he is not set to be dropped from their squad for Sunday’s trip to Leicester City unless it emerges that the cats were injured while in Zouma’s care.

It was manager David Moyes’s decision to start Zouma against Watford on Tuesday. 

Moyes said afterwards he selected him because he wanted to field the ‘best team’ and that he was ‘one of our better players’ – comments which attracted criticism on Wednesday, including from mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who described the situation as ‘despicable’.

Sportsmail has been told part of the manager’s thinking was that he wanted the player to ‘face the music’, knowing he will be jeered by supporters whenever and wherever he plays following the footage.

More than 200,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Zouma to be prosecuted. 

Essex Police have confirmed they are liaising with the RSPCA, who said on Wednesday: ‘We’d like to reassure people that we’re investigating and the cats are safe and in our care. We have been dealing with this since before the clip went viral online and we need to follow the proper legal process and not discuss due to UK GDPR laws.’

Zouma was booed throughout Tuesday’s game at the London Stadium, with his surprise selection coming hours after West Ham had issued a statement in which they ‘unreservedly condemned’ his actions. 

The video was believed to have been filmed by Zouma’s brother, Yoan, also a football player for Dagenham and Redbridge, who then uploaded it to Snapchat.

‘West Ham United would like to reiterate our condemnation of Kurt’s actions and make it clear that the matter continues to be handled with the utmost seriousness,’ the club said in a statement on Wednesday, adding the player, who has apologised, is ‘extremely remorseful’.      

Adidas confirmed Zouma has lost his boot sponsorship, with the company saying he ‘is no longer a contracted athlete’. 

Meanwhile, an RSPCA spokesperson confirmed: ‘We’re investigating and the cats are safe and in our care.

‘We have been dealing with this since before the clip went viral online and we need to follow the proper legal process and not discuss due to UK GDPR laws.’

The footballer, who is on £125,000 a week, has been docked two weeks’ wages by his club. 

A statement said: ‘West Ham United can confirm that the club is supporting an RSPCA investigation into the actions of Kurt Zouma in the video circulated online this week.

‘Kurt and the club are co-operating fully with the investigation and the player has willingly complied with the steps taken in the initial stage of the process, including delivering his family’s two cats to the RSPCA for assessment.

‘Kurt is extremely remorseful and, like everyone at the club, fully understands the depth of feeling surrounding the incident and the need for action to be taken.

‘Separate to the RSPCA’s investigation and pending further sanction once the outcome of that process is determined, West Ham United can confirm that Kurt Zouma has been fined the maximum amount possible following his actions in the video that circulated.

‘The player has immediately accepted the fine, which will be donated to animal welfare charities.

‘West Ham United would like to reiterate our condemnation of Kurt’s actions and make it clear that the matter continues to be handled with the utmost seriousness.

‘However, we believe it is now important to allow the RSPCA to conduct their investigation in a fair and thorough manner, and will be making no further comment at this stage.’

It comes as it emerged he could face up to four years in prison in his native France for kicking and slapping the felines.

A legal complaint has been filed against the 27-year-old in Paris, where there is widespread shock at a video showing the player attacking his pet at his £2million Essex home.

It led to lawyers working for the 30 Million Friends Foundation (La Fondation 30 Millions d’Amis), the largest animal rights group in France, contacting prosecutors.

A spokesman for the Foundation said: ‘We condemn this heinous act, have asked that the player be suspended from the France team, and filed a legal complaint against him.’

According to article 113-6 of the French Penal Code, a French citizen can be prosecuted for criminal acts carried out abroad.

Tough new animal protection laws were introduced in France in 2021, meaning that the ‘mistreatment of animals’ is now punishable by up to four years in prison and a fine equivalent to £50,000.

Aggravated factors in any criminal prosecution included acts of violence being committed in front of other people, or if the animal belongs to the attacker.

‘In the case of Kurt Zouma, the video appears to show aggravating facts, so he could be in very serious trouble,’ said another source close to the case.

Senior French politicians have also condemned Zouma, who is from the eastern city of Lyon, and called him to be kicked out of France’s national team.

Muriel Fusi, spokesperson for the French Animal party, said: ‘Many people on social networks are outraged by the video. Many people claim that this football player can no longer wear the colours of France’.

And Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally party and a presidential candidate, said: ‘It’s shameful. I still think that those who are capable of cruelty to animals are also capable of cruelty towards men. Violence is never trivial.’

It came as Gary Lineker this morning slammed West Ham for playing Zouma, branding manager David Moyes’ selection as ‘tone deaf’. 

He was booed every time he touched the ball against Watford in the incendiary London Stadium clash. 

Moyes was forced to defend his team selection by saying he had to pick the best starting 11 after the video scandal.

But Lineker said today: ‘Shocked and appalled that West Ham played Zouma last night. A tone deaf decision.’

His thoughts were echoed by Becky Thwaites, Head of Public Affairs at national pet charity Blue Cross, said: ‘We were very disappointed to see West Ham make the decision to play Kurt Zouma last night. In our view it normalises his abhorrent behaviour and delivers the message it’s acceptable to treat a family pet that way.

‘It gives the impression to young football fans watching last night that it doesn’t matter what he did to his cat, all that is important is football.’  

It came as he was dropped as an ambassador for a charity – which has helped big cats – and run by his wife Sandra. 

The player had been featured on Seed’s supporters’ page, but after the scandal broke was no longer visible on the site.

Seed, which helps a number of good causes and was set up by wives and girlfriends of French players, declined to comment when quizzed about him by MailOnline.

Previously it had raised 20,000 euros to create a new shelter for the big beasts. 

Zouma was caught on video kicking and slapping his pet cat and heard laughing as he did it in his £2million Essex home. 

Although the club dressed down the player, who reportedly earns £120,000-a-week, they still named him in their starting lineup against Watford on Tuesday evening. 

Whenever he was tackled rival fans jeered ‘Now you know how your cat feels’. 

This morning questions mounted on the decision and the silence of co-chairman David Gold and vice-chair Karren Brady over the matter.

While a club statement has condemned the matter, both are prolific tweeters but have stayed quiet online on it so far. 

A petition calling for the RSPCA to take action against the French international  launched yesterday has already been signed more than 95,000 times. 

TV presenter and wildlife conservationist Chris Packham said: ‘The rancid stench of arrogance and no accountability is choking our lives and the London Stadium reeks of it.

‘There sport , once held as a paragon of fairness and excellence , is blighted by greed and a wholesale disregard for our most treasured basic values.

‘They gave him a pedestal to proclaim his pathetic apology . But they didn’t ‘lose the dressing room’ tonight, they lost the crowd.

‘Us, who will not tolerate cruelty, will not be distracted by the glamour and celebrity of football , but who will necessarily pursue justice and right this wrong.

‘This was not a beautiful game , this was an ugly disgrace and whilst he has had his night on the pitch , I hope he has his day in court.’

Moyes said after the match: ‘I know how people feel, but I’m also a football manager here.

‘My feeling was that Kurt has apologised and I understand a lot of people will not just be accepting of an apology. But to me he came out and [apologised] honestly and I had to do my job.’ 

Users on social media expressed their disgust that the defender was named in West Ham’s team.

Zouma got the last touch in the match, which finished 1-0 to West Ham.  

The release of the videos sparked calls for West Ham to sack the star, including by BBC presenter Gabby Logan, who posted on Twitter: ‘I think I would probably get rid of a player who kicked and hit an animal for ‘laughs’ in his kitchen. All in front of his child.’ 

Other celebrities joined fans and cat lovers on social media in mocking the London club and their star defender. 

Soccer Saturday anchor Jeff Stelling sarcastically said: ‘That’s certainly taught Zouma a lesson @WestHam. He must be repentant now having suffered for so long before he wears the club’s shirt again.’ 

Meanwhile, Match of the Day commentator Ian Wright labelled Zouma a ‘coward’. 

The star apologised yesterday after being given a telling off by West Ham bosses over a shocking video showing him kicking and slapping his pet Bengal cat. 

In a grovelling statement, the 27-year-old, who only joined the east London club from Chelsea in a £29.8million deal in the summer, said he was ‘deeply sorry’ over the incident and insisted his cats were ‘loved and cherished’. 

The apology comes as his club side issued their own statement, in which they ‘unreservedly condemned’ the defender’s actions.

Yet the footballer is not yet off the hook and is facing a joint police and RSPCA animal cruelty investigation. 

Initially the Met Police said they would not investigate the incident, before Surrey Police said they would look into the matter. However, it later emerged the attack was filmed in the millionaire’s new £2million Essex home. 

Essex police said: ‘We are aware of a video circulating on social media relating to an incident involving a cat which members of our communities may find distressing.

‘We have recently been made aware that this incident may have taken place in Essex and we are liaising with the RSPCA and urgent enquiries are ongoing.’

The RSPCA, which has the power to prosecute in animal welfare cases, said it was ‘aware’ of the ‘very upsetting footage’.   

If Zouma was found to be guilty of animal cruelty he could face up to five years in jail and an unlimited fine. 

Social media users took to Twitter yesterday to put pressure on the RSPCA and police to investigate. 

The RSPCA said it had received ‘lots of messages on social media’ and other channels about the video, which was taken on Sunday – the day after Zouma appeared for the club in their FA Cup victory over non-league Kidderminster Harriers. 

RSPCA bosses urged people only to come forward to them if they had ‘first hand information’ about the incident.  

Addressing the video in a statement yesterday, the West Ham defender said: ‘I want to apologise for my actions.

‘There are no excuses for my behaviour, which I sincerely 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.’

Zouma was said to have been angered after the cat caused a mess inside his house. 

West Ham have said the club will ‘deal with the matter internally’. In a short statement, the Premier League club said: ‘West Ham United unreservedly condemn the actions of Kurt Zouma in the video that has circulated.

‘We have spoken to Kurt and will be dealing with the matter internally, but we would like to make it clear that we in no way condone cruelty towards animals.’  

Social media users flooded Twitter with complaints about the video, urging the RSPCA to take action. 

Susan Hall, a Conservative London Assembly Member, copying in both Kurt Zouma and the RSPCA, added: ‘Kurt Zouma should never be allowed to own an animal again. Disgusting, unforgivable behaviour.’  

Meanwhile, a petition calling on the RSPCA to take action has now been launched. The Change.Org petition has already been signed more than 50,000 time

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said: ‘This is a very upsetting video. It’s never acceptable to kick, hit or slap an animal, for punishment or otherwise. 

‘We are so grateful to people who report suspected animal suffering to us and we would like to reassure people we will always look into and, if necessary, investigate any complaints made to us about animal welfare.’

The spokesperson added: ‘We have received lots of messages on social media and our other channels, so we’re urging people to only contact our national cruelty line (0300 1234 999) if they have new or first-hand information.’

The shocking footage is believed to have been filmed by Zouma’s brother Yoan, and shows Zouma dropping the cat before kicking it across the kitchen floor.

He also chases the cat around the kitchen and dining room in front of a child, all while the person capturing the video laughs hysterically.

A separate clip, obtained by The Sun, also shows the French international throwing a pair of shoes at the cat before slapping it out of a child’s arms. 

The first of the clips was captioned with ‘sa commence’, which translated to ‘it is starting’.

A second clip was captioned with a series of laughing emojis. 

Zouma’s brother is currently signed with National League side Dagenham & Redbridge FC, who also condemned their star’s actions in a statement. 

In a statement issued on their website, club bosses said: ‘Since first becoming aware of the incident this morning the club has had discussions with Yoan and we will now take some time to consider our response, which we will of course make public in due course.

‘However, in the meantime we would like to make it completely clear that we in no way condone any form of cruelty towards animals and take this matter very seriously.

In a statement issues through the club’s website, Yoan Zouma said: ‘I deeply regret my involvement in the video that has been widely circulated and unreservedly apologise, not only for my actions, but for the upset and distress this will have caused to so many people.

‘I am now taking time to reflect on what I have done but wish to assure everyone that this was an isolated incident and not something that I am proud of.’ 

Chris Kirkland, a former Liverpool and England goalkeeper, also called for Zouma’s sacking but was forced to retract earlier comments after he said the incident was ‘worse than racism’.

He told talkSPORT: ‘Kurt Zouma has got to be sacked. If I was West Ham captain, I’d want to get Zouma out of the dressing room.’

And discussing the video later with the BBC, the former England keeper said: ‘Everywhere they go now and everywhere he [Zouma] goes, he’s going to be targeted and rightfully so as well because he deserves everything he’s going to get.

‘I’m still in disbelief that West Ham played him last night, I thought that was disgraceful but again, if it was a racism case, the FA have acted, stepped in and banned players for six to 10 games, fighting six to 10 games. 

‘This is worse if anything, what is the difference?’

Kirkland later added that he had only meant to say that defenceless animals had no way of hitting back at their abusers.

Taking to Twitter after attracting fury with his comments, he explained: ‘Obviously I mentioned racism and about if players have been banned before – I know I said that it’s possibly worse and that but what I meant was animals can’t defend themselves, they’ve not got a voice.

‘Obviously humans have but listen, racism goes without saying it’s an absolute disgrace and anyone who does that should be locked up, people know how I feel about that I don’t have to say that.

‘But yeah, it was just in the context that animals can’t defend themselves, they’ve not got a voice, I meant in that way not obviously the other way so hope that clears it up and yeah, take care everybody.’

The row comes just months after prison sentences for animal cruelty were raised by the Government. 

In June last year, the maximum prison sentence for animal cruelty, which includes the abuse of cats, rose from six months to five years. Offenders can also receive an unlimited fine.

Sign up the pitch invader! A curious CAT runs round the players after running onto the pitch at Hillsborough during Sheffield Wednesday’s victory over Wigan – and is then carried off as fans cheer

A cat disrupted a crucial part of Sheffield Wednesday’s win over Wigan Athletic – but was safely gathered up in an act worlds away from Zouma’s kick.

Wigan were chasing a 1-0 scoreline in the 94th minute when the feline entered the field of play, thereby halting the Latics’ momentum as they chased a late equaliser.

But Wigan substitute Jason Kerr spent the final few minutes chasing the cat around the pitch instead, but it showed a great turn of pace to evade the defender’s challenge before he eventually handed the animal to a Wednesday staff member.

The animal was pictured in the arms of what looks like a Sheffield Wednesday fan, with the club announcing after the match that the cat left Hillsborough ‘safe and sound.’

The fans inside Hillsborough cheered in unison when the cat was eventually picked up by Kerr and removed from play, which allowed the final two minutes of the game to go ahead. 

But Wigan appeared to suffer from black cat superstition as they were unable to find the equaliser needed to boost their League One promotion push. Barry Bannan scored a second-half penalty to earn the victory for the hosts. 

 

The 1-0 defeat leaves the Latics in second-place, but leaders Rotherham opened up a nine point lead at the top of the third tier thanks to their 1-0 win at AFC Wimbledon.

Wigan do have three games in hand over Rotherham to make up the points but will be concerned by a run of three games without a win. Perhaps this black cat is symbolic of Wigan’s poor form of late. 

Disruptive pitch invaders have frustratingly become commonplace in football over the past few weeks, but an exception can be made for this little troublemaker.