David Moyes stands by Kurt Zouma and issues an update regarding playing him during his press conference ahead of the game against Leicester.
Zouma is available to play for West Ham against Leicester on Sunday despite the shocking video of him kicking his cat across his kitchen floor.
The Premier League player’s cats have been taken away by the RSPCA, to be cared for properly by proper animal lovers.
David Moyes stands by decision to play Kurt Zouma. pic.twitter.com/m2WD6t3BZl
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 11, 2022
The 27-year-old West Ham defender said sorry and has been fined two weeks’ wages – understood to be £250,000 – which will be donated to animal welfare charities, while Adidas have dropped the player as a client.
Moyes caused further controversy however by playing Zouma against Watford on Tuesday, barely 24 hours after the footage was released and amid a huge public backlash.
National League club Dagenham have suspended Zouma’s brother Yoan, who is understood to have filmed the video, while the RSPCA investigates the incident.
But Moyes said: “Yes he’s available to play against Leicester. There are different views and opinions on should he be available. We as a club took that decision and I stand by that.
“I don’t think the club could take more action or any quicker. West Ham have fined him the maximum wages. We all accept the actions are terrible and diabolical, but we’ve chosen to play him and we stand by that.
“We are so disappointed it is completely out of character from Kurt. He is a really good lad we are going to get him some help and trying to give him as much help as we can.
“Like drink-driving offences, most people have to go to classes and the RSPCA are going to provide him with classes to understand about animals and how to treat them.
“We will do everything we can to make sure Kurt is looking into it, and getting better, and understanding it.
“The incident is terrible, we all totally agree with that. There was nobody in this football club who doesn’t agree with that.
“Sponsorship being taken away is something the club will deal with, not me.”
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.
West Ham are continuing to support an RSPCA investigation.
Asked how Zouma is, Moyes said: “He’s incredibly remorseful. In life you need a bit of forgiveness and he’s hoping he’s forgiven for a bad action.
“We mustn’t forget that many of us through our lives makes mistakes and you’re hoping there are people out there that are going to give you a little bit of forgiveness.”
Moyes offered an apology to the club’s fanbase for Zouma’s action and hopes the incident will not detract from the great strides West Ham have made, on and off the field, over the past couple of years.
“We’re really sorry if we’ve upset the West Ham supporters,” he said. “We’re completely upset by it as well.
“We’re really disappointed. I’m someone who is a great lover of animals and have them myself.
“If we’re talking about West Ham supporters being disappointed, well there’s nobody more disappointed than me, and the club as well.”
He added: “I’ve never had (an incident) like this. As a football manager it shows you never know what you’re going to get.
“I hope I’ll never get an incident like this again, but that’s part of being in this job. We’d rather we weren’t making news.
“West Ham have made really, really good news in the last two years.
“We’ve a really good side. I’m sad the focus has been taken away from what is, at the moment, a relatively good season.
“We mustn’t forget all of the good work that the club does because of one incident, and that’s why we’re asking the people out there for a bit of forgiveness. We know there’s been a mistake made and we hope that people will look at it in a different light.”
Moyes isn’t afraid to drop players for disciplinary reasons, having previously left Michail Antonio out for being late for team meetings.
But he said: “He’s [Zouma] treated the exact same way as any other player.”
Asked whether the incident could divide the West Ham dressing room, Moyes responded: “I actually think it’s going to make us stronger.
“I think the club have acted brilliantly in what they’ve done in a really difficult situation.
“It’s not an easy situation for the players but it’s the sort of thing that pulls you together.
“Along the road there’s plenty of bumps, and we’ve got a big bump just now that we’ve got to get over, and we’re doing everything we can to do that.”
The 58-year-old says he is also ready for the public outcry against his decision to make Zouma available on Sunday at Leicester, live on Sky Sports..
Moyes said: “I understand the criticism of me personally because I understand how severe the video was and what he did was terrible.
“I know where my own moral compass is. I totally understand why people would be disappointed by my decision and the club’s decision to play him. It’s a decision I’ve made and I stand by that.”
Twitter users reacted as David Moyes stands by Kurt Zouma and issues an update regarding playing him…
@EUFC_: 250k fine and education is more than enough punishment for this. Let’s just all move on now ffs
@bcarrollwtf: Shame on Moyes
@connorlinsdell_: Provide him with classes? Is there a one for “how not to kick your pet” is there?
@ReindeerHotdog: Slight difference here David. One has direct links to psychopathic behaviour centred around an inability to contain feelings of anger/violence – even suggesting those feelings are not important to the individual. The other is a huge lack of judgement (still awful)
@Bradley16100267: Moyes just keeps digging that whole deeper and deeper most right minded people don’t need a class to know kicking an animal is wrong. I have lost all respect for West Ham
@McG__0: If you need to go to a class to be taught not to be cruel to animals there’s something inherently wrong…
@michael_bracken: Money means more to Moyes than animal welfare
@bethgabriel_: 🤣 lessons on how to not abuse animals? Give the fuck over man 😩
@spurs933: Why’s he acting like Zouma has a cat kicking addiction and needs help and classes? The guy is just a nasty evil moron and that’s it. You’re playing him because your other options are trash.
@ShaunR180: Course he is. Points mean more to West Ham than morales. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
@Dadders: Hopefully he treats Foxes better than he treats cats
@jaydw1992: A fine is nothing to a footballer on that much a week! A punishment would be to drop him from the sport he loves for a few games.
@BaldDavid1967: The damage they are doing to the club might be very long before they recover
@Holly_VicUK: Have lost all respect for #DavidMoyes and #WestHam after that awful, awful statement ahead of their game against Leicester. Terrible take and terrible decision. Petition still climbing too
@Mark74NUFC: David Moyes turning into the Boris Johnson of the Premier League; doubling down on a huge error and continuing to fail to read the room.
Zouma during the classes… pic.twitter.com/cmcB7sFzrp
— Ricky Burford (@RICKY93JB) February 11, 2022
You must be logged in to post a comment Login