06 February 2024 , 12:16
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Kurt Zouma was mocked by Manchester United ’s in-house commentator for his infamous cat-kicking incident during the Red Devils’ 3-0 win against West Ham.
The Frenchman was involved in a viral video where he was shown hitting and kicking his pet across his kitchen. The video was met with widespread disgust.
Zouma has since faced some serious consequences. He was immediately fined two weeks’ wages by West Ham, while sportswear giants adidas dropped him as a sponsorship client.
Meanwhile, the defender was ordered to carry out 180 hours of community service and banned from keeping cats for five years. Fans have also taken aim at the Frenchman with chants of “that’s how your cat felt” after particularly heavy challenges.
Now, MUTV’s in-house commentator Steve Bower took the chance to fire a dig at Zouma. After a collision between the Frenchman and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, something that led the latter to be replaced, he said: “He can be physical, Zouma. Just ask his cat.”
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Away from that jibe, Zouma’s afternoon grew even more difficult after his West Ham side fell to a 3-0 defeat. A strike from Rasmus Hojlund opened the scoring, while a brace from Alejandro Garnacho rounded off a miserable day.
Zouma has previously spoken out on the incident involving his cat and continues to show remorse for his actions. Speaking to The Guardian in November 2022, he said: “It’s been a difficult spell for me and my family. Obviously I have done something very bad and I apologise again for what I’ve done. I know it was very tough for people to watch and to see that and obviously I feel very, very sorry.
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“I have great remorse about it and now I’m trying to move on with my family and looking ahead. I learned from it, that’s the most important thing, I would say. Obviously, I had support from many, many people around me who helped me stay focused on football and I try to stay happy.
“The club has been unbelievable with me, the support that I received from my teammates, from the staff, and everyone at the club, and even from the fans, has been unreal, and they helped me stay focused on the game, to try to do my best on the pitch all the time and, obviously, I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done. This club is like my family.”
Zouma, 29, retained his place in the West Ham side immediately after the incident in a 1-0 win over Watford. Despite David Moyes insisting he remained in contention, Zouma was then not included in the squad for the following match against Leicester.
The defender was named as the Hammers’ captain ahead of the current season. He replaced Declan Rice, who completed a record-breaking move to Arsenal.