Michail Antonio questions reaction to Kurt Zouma cat kicking: Is it worse than racism?

Posted Friday, February 11, 2022 by Marca.com

French defender was filmed drop-kicking a cat in front of his children

Kurt Zouma kicking a cat

It has been a difficult fortnight for football, having to essentially face up to the fact a lot of the characters fans idolise and worship are in actual fact, pretty less than stellar human beings, and the latest episode of shame, involving Kurt Zouma kicking a cat, is truly horrific.

Yet, as is the case with any instance at the moment, there has been a contrasting set of opinions with relation to the issue, and Michail Antonio has questioned the reaction to his club teammate's behaviour, asking if the same energy would be utilised in the pursuit of punishing racism.

We've long known that footballing administrations prefer to bury their heads in the sand with regards to the subject of racial abuse, whilst the punishment for clubs who have been found guilty of housing racist fans at matches has been virtually non-existent.

However, Antonio is painting a picture where the two different subjects are comparable, and many aren't sure if that is the case.

"I've got a question for you," Antonio responded out of his car window.

"Do you think, what he's done is worse than racism?

"I'm not condoning anything that he's done, I don't agree with a thing that he's done at all, but there's people that have been convicted in court for racism and have played football afterwards."

David Moyes came in for serious criticism when he selected Zouma in his team on Tuesday evening, despite sponsors pulling out of the London club in protest, and this has only fuelled the debate further.

"People are calling for him to be sacked and lose his livelihood," Antonio continued.

"I've just got to ask everyone out there, is what he's done worse than what the people who have been convicted of racism have done?

Wednesday saw the RSPCA take away Zouma's family cats for health checks, and they will remain with the animal welfare authorities until an investigation is complete, yet worryingly the animals could yet find themselves returned to the player.

Consequences for brother

Meanwhile, Dagenham & Redbridge have seemingly suspended Kurt Zouma's brother Yoan, insisting he will not play for the club until the conclusion of an RSPCA investigation into the video.

Yoan was reportedly behind the camera filming Kurt as he drop kicked his pet cats.

"Dagenham & Redbridge FC would again like to reiterate that it condemns any form of cruelty towards animals and fully understands the reaction of many of its supporters," a club statement said.

"The club has therefore decided that until the RSPCA has completed its investigations, Yoan will not play for Dagenham & Redbridge in any competitive match. Any further action deemed necessary to be taken will be made at the conclusion of the RSPCA investigation."