Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright has called Kurt Zouma a ‘coward’ after footage emerged of the West Ham defender kicking and slapping his pet cat.
The disturbing video shows Zouma, 27, kicking his cat across the floor, slapping it in the face and chucking objects at it.
Premier League club West Ham have ‘unreservedly condemned’ Zouma’s actions and say they will deal with the incident internally.
Zouma has been widely condemned by fans and Wright, one of the most respected figures in the sport following his excellent playing career and punditry appearances, has labelled the player a ‘coward’.
Responding to a talkSPORT video which showed host Laura Woods asking ‘What sort of a person are you to do something like that?’ in reference to the Zouma footage, Wright said: ‘A coward!!!!’
An RSPCA spokesperson, meanwhile, 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.’
West Ham, who signed Zouma last summer from Chelsea for £30m, added: ‘The club unreservedly condemns 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.’
Zouma also apologised for his behaviour and said his pets are ‘loved and cherished’ by the entire family, with his behaviour in the video an ‘isolated incident’.
He said in a statement: ‘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.’
The Metropolitan Police have no plans to investigate Zouma despite the footage.
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