On February 8th, fans booed the player every time he received the ball as he played for West Ham against Watford. Whilst playing against Newcastle on February 19th, Newcastle fans held blow up cats in the audience and chanted “Heyyyy, hey Zouma, ooh, aahh, I wanna knowwww, how you kicked that cat.”
Newcastle United fans tryna get under Kurt Zouma skin … #WHUFC #WHUNEW #KurtZouma pic.twitter.com/lPSp9XqruI
— Benchviews.tv (@Benchviews_) February 19, 2022
After investigations from Essex police and the RSPCA, Zouma has since been fined £250,000 which will help fund animal charities and he has been offered ‘animal lessons’ from the RSPCA. His brother Yoan Zouma, who filmed the viral video, has been banned from playing for Dagenham and Redbridge.
David Moyes, manager of West Ham, was asked on BT Sport about whether the video influenced his decision to let Zouma play in the West Ham vs Watford match. "No, because he's one of our better players. It's certainly ongoing and the club are dealing with it, so that's a separate matter,” he said.
The abuse video which circulated is disturbing and raises concerns about how much footballers are really getting away with. Although fans are angry, he’s still been able to continue his career, and some aren’t happy about it. There’re several cases like this, where footballers have done something diabolical, but still been allowed to play for their teams.
One that’s been in the news recently is David Goodwillie. In 2017, he was branded by the civil court as a rapist after raping a young woman. Denise Clair, who waived her anonymity, said she’d gone out for a drink with friends in 2011, and found herself naked and in pain at a flat the next morning.
As he’d been charged in civil court, Goodwillie was not sent to prison. He was fined £100,000, along with Robertson, another footballer who was involved with the rape. You would think that being a proved rapist would keep men like this away from the spotlight forever. Shockingly, only four months later, he had been signed with Clyde FC and went on to be named Clyde’s Player of the Year, after their League Two 2017-18 season.
It makes you angry, doesn’t it?
He was signed again January 2022 to Raith Rovers on an 18-month contract. After a huge outrage from football fans, Goodwillie’s contract with Raith Rovers was broken not long after. It appears that fans hold footballers accountable, but this isn’t always a football teams first thought. Is the outcry from the public a big enough punishment for Zouma?
Alison Jarvis from Cheltenham Animal Shelter has a long history of looking after animals and then sending them to a safe home. When asked about Kurt Zouma, she said “The footballer’s reputation has certainly suffered, and he will always be associated with this story by the football world, fans and the general public, even if no further action can be taken.”
Whether or not you believe Zouma should still be allowed to play for the team, it’s certainly evident that fans aren’t letting the situation slide. So why are West Ham continuing to let Zouma play for the team?
Zouma gets paid £120,000 a week, so the team has put a lot of money into the football defender. "A player has made a mistake and there are plenty of managers with players who have made mistakes,” David Moyes said to Sky Sports. Zouma is one of West Ham’s best players, so he’s one they don’t want to let go.
Many celebrities have made awful mistakes which have been overlooked because of their talent. Those who believe in Cancel culture are trying to boycott Zouma from the spotlight. Those who don’t believe in cancel culture, may say that the fine is a big enough punishment. He has the added punishment of bad press from the media and anger from fans, which an ordinary person wouldn’t receive. Kicking him off the team may seem extreme for some.
Tommy Bond plays for Cheltenham Town’s under 18’s team. He said, “the fine was big, but for a footballer, it’s obviously not.” Some people are calling for Zouma to receive a bigger fine, but it seems as though the team are settled and happy with the punishment. Overtime, things are forgotten, and this case won’t stay in the news forever. But is there anymore that can really be done to punish Zouma?
After recent copycats have posted videos online replicating Zouma’s video and kicking cats, people are horrified. Some fans are still calling for Zouma to be dropped from the team, some are happy with the punishment, but for now, he will continue to play. What do you think?
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