'Worse than racism?': Zouma's teammate Antonio questions fallout over cat kicking vid
10 February 2022, 15:17 | Updated: 10 February 2022, 17:33
West Ham's Michail Antonio has questioned whether teammate Kurt Zouma kicking his cat is "worse than racism" as pressure mounts for more action to be taken against the defender.
Zouma has been widely condemned over the video, in which he is seen kicking and slapping the pet.
It comes as his brother, Yoan, was suspended by his club Dagenham and Redbridge "until the RSPCA has completed its investigations" for his role in filming the clip.
The RSPCA has seized both Zouma's cats and he has been fined the "maximum amount possible" by his club - reported to be about £250,000 or two weeks of the star's wages.
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The footballer's actions have caused Vitality to suspend sponsorship as West Ham's official wellness partner, while Zouma has also been dropped by Adidas.
Charity groups in France, where he is from, have taken legal action and asked prosecutors to get involved, with a possible jail term of four years.
A petition demanding he is proscuted has gained almost 300,000 signatures.
Despite the backlash, the centre-back played in West Ham's 1-0 victory over Watford on Tuesday night.
'What does the world want? It's almost like people want blood!'
Asked about the reaction to teammate's behaviour, Antonio said: "I've got a question for you. 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 what he’s done at all.
"But there's people that's convicted, been caught for racism, and has played football afterwards.
"They got punished, they got an eight-game punishment or something like that, but people are now calling for people to be sacked, for them to lose their livelihood.
"I've just got to ask this question to everyone out there: is what he's done worse than what the people have done that have been convicted of racism?"
Caller slams 'disgraceful' decision to select Kurt Zouma for West Ham match
The RSPCA added on Wedneday: “We're grateful to everyone who expressed their concern for these cats. We were dealing with this issue before the video went viral online and are leading the investigation.
"We continue to investigate so we cannot comment further at this time."
West Ham said in a statement: "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."
