‘Is it worse than racism?’: Michail Antonio hits back at Kurt Zouma critics

West Ham forward Michail Antonio has raised a
question in reaction to the Kurt Zouma cat-kicking incident, asking if it is “worse than players convicted of racism?”.

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RSPCA has taken Zouma’s cats into their custody
after a video emerged of him hitting, dropping, and kicking his pet across his
kitchen floor went viral on Monday.

In the wake of criticism, 27-year-old West Ham
defender issued an apology but Essex Police confirmed that “urgent
enquiries” were underway in conjunction with the RSPCA.

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West Ham, meanwhile, fined Zouma £250,000 which will
be donated to animal welfare charities.

The footballer has also lost his sponsorship deal
with Adidas.

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In France, animal rights group the 30 Million
Friends Foundation condemned the “heinous act” and called for Zouma
to be suspended from the national team.

Asked about the reaction of the Zouma kicking cats,
Antonio responded, “I’ve got a question for you. Do you think what he’s
done is worse than racism?”

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“I’m not condoning a thing that he’s done. I
don’t agree with what he has done at all.

“But there’s people that have been convicted
and been caught for racism, and have played football afterwards. They got an
eight-game punishment or something like that, but people are now calling for
people to be sacked and to lose their livelihood.

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“I’ve just got to ask this question to everyone
out there: is what he’s [Zouma] done worse than what the people convicted of
racism done?”

West Ham manager David Moyes, however, said Zouma
would remain available for selection while the club’s internal investigation
ran its course.

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“Our priority is and has always been the
wellbeing of these cats,” an RSPCA spokesperson said.

“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.

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“We continue to investigate so we cannot
comment further at this time.”

West Ham United confirmed the club is continuing to
support an RSPCA investigation.