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Cat mistreated: national soccer player convicted

Dhe French national soccer player Kurt Zouma has to do 180 hours of community work because of animal cruelty. The 27-year-old kicked his cat like a soccer ball, threw shoes at it and hit him. Zouma had admitted this. 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 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.”

Video of Zouma’s offense was surfaced in February, filmed by his brother Yoan, whose laughter can be heard in the background. He uploaded the clip to the Snapchat social media platform. The animal welfare organization Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) then filed a lawsuit and took the animal into its care.

The judge now emphasized that Zouma and his younger brother had shown “real remorse”. Yoan Zouma, who is under contract with London fifth division club Dagenham & Redbridge, has to do 140 hours of community service and is also banned from keeping cats for five years.

The video had not only triggered widespread outrage in England. West Ham United had sharply condemned Zouma’s behavior, imposed a high fine of allegedly almost 300,000 euros on him and made donations to several national and international animal welfare organizations.

In addition, sponsor adidas ended the collaboration. Zouma was booed several times after the scandal on the pitch, including by Hammers fans. The court’s ruling also includes a five-year ban on keeping animals. The cat allegedly damaged a chair in the Zouma home before the incident.

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