Soccer Star Kurt Zouma Was Caught Kicking His Cat On Video & It Just Cost Him Over $400K
His cats have been seized and he's losing so many sponsors.
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French soccer player Kurt Zouma is under a lot of heat right now after a video surfaced where he appears to be attacking his pet cat.
In the disturbing video, the West Ham United star can be seen kicking and slapping his pet Bengal cat in front of his brother and a young child.
Zouma's brother posted the video on Snapchat and The Sun, a U.K.-based tabloid, later published it online.
The video surfaced early this week and the scandal hit a new level on Wednesday, with Zouma facing a six-figure fine from his football club and losing a bunch of sponsors.
"Kurt Zouma has been fined the maximum amount possible following his actions in the video that circulated," West Ham United said in a statement condemning the video. That amount is estimated to be £250,000 (CA$430,000), The Guardian reports.
The Royal Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has also stepped in to take his cats away while it investigates the case after more than 230,000 people signed a petition for it to do so.
"'The cats are safe and in our care," the RSPCA said in a tweet on Wednesday.
Update on viral footage of cats\nWe'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.pic.twitter.com/LticInSmpn— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA (England & Wales)) 1644415145
"Our priority is and has always been the well-being of these cats. They've been taken for a check-up at a vet's and then will remain in our care while the investigation continues," an RSPCA spokesperson told Sky News.
English football fans booed Zouma when he hit the pitch for a game on Tuesday.
Vitality, a vitamin and supplement company, suspended its sponsorship of Zouma's team over the cat incident on Wednesday, while Adidas also announced that it was ending its personal sponsorship of Zouma.
Zouma has apologized for his actions and claimed that the cats "are loved and cherished" by his family, reported Yahoo News.
"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," said Zouma.
"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."
The petition against Zouma has also called for him to be arrested but police have not announced any charges at this point.
This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.