London (AFP) – The controversy over the video showing French footballer Kurt Zouma hitting his cat was gaining momentum on Wednesday February 9 in England: nearly 200,000 people demanded legal action, his cats were taken away from him and Adidas broke his contract with him.
His club West Ham fined him on Wednesday. as heavy as possible “. Such a sanction generally corresponds to a withdrawal of two weeks’ salary, or around 300,000 euros in his case.
The equipment manufacturer Adidas has for its part decided to break the contract binding it to the international defender. ” We have closed our investigation and can confirm that Kurt Zouma is no longer a contracted athlete with Adidas. “, indicated in an email to AFP the brand with the three stripes.
” Surprised from Kurt “, the coach of the French football team Didier Deschamps judged the attitude of the player on Wednesday” unacceptable and intolerable “. But he did not say whether or not he would select him for the Blues’ next match, March 25 in Marseille against Côte d’Ivoire.
The British public was outraged to see the 27-year-old kick his cat, throw a shoe at him and slap him as he took refuge in the arms of a child.
” In the UK we have laws against animal abuse, laws that should apply to everyone, rich or poor, famous or not! We call on the Metropolitan Police and the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to urgently investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of this heinous act “Explains the petition, which had exceeded 220,000 signatures in the evening.
Shortly after the broadcast of the video, Zouma and the club apologized, but the player’s tenure the same evening, for a league match against Watford, had revived the controversy even more.
Insurance company Vitality suspended a ‘wellness’ partnership with West Ham saying ” extremely disappointed with the lack of judgment ” of the club. “Experience Kissimmee”, a resort in Florida, for its part described as ” heartbreaking Zouma’s presence on the pitch and announced that he would review his financial ties with the club.
“This is how your cat feels”
Zouma was jeered at throughout the match by fans, including his team at times, and when he complained of pain after a foul by an opponent, some even chanted ” this is how your cat feels “.
Hammers coach David Moyes defended his decision by saying he needed his best players as the London club were in the fight for Champions League qualification.
But the matter escalated to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who called Zouma’s actions ” despicable » and said to himself ” disappointed by the coach and the leaders.
In the middle of the afternoon, the club announced the fine against the player. ” The player immediately accepted it and requested that the amount be donated to an animal rights organization “, after having ” voluntarily (handed over) the two family cats to the RSPCA for examination “, Pleaded West Ham.
In France, too, the indignation was strong. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, the 30 Million Friends Foundation and the SPA have decided to file a complaint. ” Although the offense is in England, we consider that we have a prejudice because it is visible in France “, Estimated with AFP Jacques-Charles Fombonne, president of the SPA.
“Free, Stupid and Nasty”
In a letter to the French Football Federation, of which AFP obtained a copy, the president of the SPA claims ” a quick and exemplary sanction “on the sporting level and wishes that he” never appear again in the ranks of the France team “.
Noël Le Graët, president of the French Federation (FFF), judged in a statement sent to AFP that the player’s behavior was ” free, dumb and nasty but noted the apology of a ” boy known to be respectful “. He did not mention any measures against him.
Kurt Zouma has 11 selections with the France team and was part of the last gathering of the Blues in November. He was also on the list of players selected last summer for the Euro but did not play a single match.