The coach of West Ham United, David Moyes stunned most fans of the club when he decided to start Kurt Zouma in the Premier League game against Watford on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.
The fans thought the French defender who joined West Ham from Chelsea last summer would be kicked out of the squad for the game as punishment for maltreating his domesticated cat.
A video obtained by The Sun allegedly shows footballer Kurt Zouma kicking and hitting his cat.
— Emily Hewertson 🇬🇧 (@emilyhewertson) February 7, 2022
It’s absolutely disgusting and disturbing footage. I hope he is prosecuted for animal cruelty. pic.twitter.com/3K7xMeHh5j
Futballnews has reported that Kurt Zouma was filmed by his brother Yoan kicking his cat and smacking it aggressively for no known reason. The incident which went public earlier in the week infuriated a lot of groups including West Ham, animals rights activists, and the club’s fans.
Amid the agitation against Zouma, the French footballer decided to issue a statement to apologize for his actions. Despite that, it seems all is not over for the football star.
During the Premier League game between West Ham and Watford at London Stadium, both the home and away fans ganged up against the French defender. Most of the spectators booed him whenever he touched the ball to pass a resounding message to him that he has not been forgiven.
Watford fans chant and boo at Kurt Zouma less than 24 hours after a shocking video surfaced of him attacking his pet cat. pic.twitter.com/1lEd6qQk5C
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) February 8, 2022
Amid all the anger, Kurt Zouma gave a very good account of himself on the pitch and ensured that West Ham recorded a clean sheet. The match ended 1-0 in favor of the home team.
Fortunately for West Ham, the 1-0 victory over West Ham was enough to push them back to the top four thanks to Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Burnley.
West Ham are now occupying the 4th spot with 40 points in 24 games, a point above 5th placed West Ham, and 7 points below 3rd placed Chelsea.
Despite starting Kurt Zouma against Watford, David Moyes insists he is still angry with the player
David Moyes knew how important it is for West Ham United to beat Watford on Tuesday, hence, he was ready to sacrifice anything to make that happen including the club’s stand against maltreatment of animals.
He had to include Kurt Zouma into his squad and even went as far as starting him in the Premier League game without considering the outburst that might cost.
In the post-match interview, coach Moyes said West Ham United are handling Zouma’s attack on the cat and he is doing his job as a coach that wants to get a result. He stressed that he did not see any problem starting the Frenchman since he has publicly apologized for his action.
When reporters asked the coach whether he is upset with Zouma, the coach replied: “Oh, 100%.”.
“It’s something we’re all disappointed with and something we can’t understand,” the Scot told BBC Match of the Day. “He’ll learn from it [but] today I had to pick a football team that gave me the best chance of winning the game as manager of West Ham.
“I know how people feel, but I’m also a football manager here.
“My feeling was that Kurt has apologized and I understand a lot of people will not just be accepting of an apology. But to me, he came out and [apologised] honestly and I had to do my job.”
🗣 "My job is to try and pick the best team that gives me the best chance at West Ham and Kurt was part of that team."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 9, 2022
David Moyes explains his decision to play Kurt Zouma against Watford whilst the club investigates the player pic.twitter.com/vdMYeph4xH
