French soccer player Kurt Zouma has to do 180 hours of community service for animal cruelty. The 27-year-old kicked his cat like a soccer ball, threw shoes at it and hit him.
In addition, the defender of the English first division club West Ham United is not allowed to keep cats for five years and has to pay around 9,000 pounds (10,570 euros) in court costs, as a court in London ruled on Wednesday. The cats had previously allegedly damaged a chair in the house.
“The cat was dependent on you, you had to take care of it,” the judge said. “You have to realize that others look up to you and many young people aspire to emulate you.” The judge also said Zouma and his younger brother Yoan, who laughed while filming the incident, have “real regrets shown.
Yoan Zouma, who plays for London fifth division club Dagenham
The video had not only triggered widespread outrage in England. Kurt Zouma’s sponsor Adidas fired the Hammers pro. West Ham United reiterated on Wednesday that the London club strongly condemns animal abuse.
