Michail Antonio has questioned the reaction to Kurt Zouma’s cat-attack video and asks if what the player has done is worse than a player who has been found guilty of racism.
Zouma has been fined £250,000 by West Ham while his two cats have been seized by the RSPCA after the sickening video which was posted on Snapchat by his brother Yoan.
The Frenchman has also lost out on his sponsorship with Adidas, who terminated its deal with the defender on Wednesday.
David Moyes opted to play Zouma in West Ham’s 1-0 win over Watford on Tuesday and West Ham have faced calls to sack the player in response to the incident.
But Antonio has said there are players who have been found guilty of racism but have been able to continue their careers in football.
When asked for his opinion on Zouma’s actions, Antonio told Sky Sports on Thursday: ‘I’ve got a question for you. So… 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 has done, at all. ‘But there are people that have been convicted and been caught for racism, and have 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 and 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 who have been convicted of racism?’
In a statement which was released on Wednesday, West Ham claimed that Zouma is ‘extremely remorseful’ & is ‘co-operating fully’ with the RSPCA’s investigation.
‘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,’ the statement read.
‘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 both he and the club agreed 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.’
A statement from the RSPCA read: ‘The two cats are now in RSPCA care. Our priority is and has always been the well-being of these cats.
‘They’ve been taken for a check-up at a vets and then will remain in our care while the investigation continues.
‘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.’
