West Ham’s Kurt Zouma will not face police probe for abusing his cat

West Ham defender Kurt Zouma will not be facing an investigation by the Met Police for his abusive behaviour towards his pet cat, the police have confirmed.

The former Chelsea player found himself embroiled in a major controversy and faced a social media backlash after The Sun obtained and published a video of him and his cat.

It is believed that the video was filmed by the Frenchman’s brother, Yoan, a day after West Ham’s FA Cup Round 4 tie win over Kidderminster, and the video was also uploaded on Snapchat.

Also read | Marc Overmars quits Ajax director’s job over improper messages to females

In the video, Zouma can be seen picking up his cat, dropping it, and kicking it into the air across the kitchen. The 27-year-old is also seen chasing the cat, throwing slippers at it, and slapping it hard on the face.

Following the release of the video and the resultant backlash over the £30 million centre-back’s behaviour, Zouma released a statement apologising for his actions and claiming it to be an “isolated incident.”

“I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video,” said Zouma, adding, “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 27-year-old added.

Also read | Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule joins Borussia Dortmund in long-term deal

Zouma’s current employers, West Ham, were not impressed by his actions, and released a statement of their own, saying, “West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player, 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,” the club added.

It remains to be seen how the Premier League club deals with Zouma. At the time of writing this, it was unclear whether the 27-year-old would be selected for West Ham’s game against Watford on Tuesday in light of the revelations about his behaviour towards his pet.