Adidas ends sponsorship of Kurt Zouma after video shows him punting cat

Things continue to go from bad to worse for West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma.

The Frenchman landed himself in hot water after a video of him drop-kicking and slapping his pet cat emerged.

The horrific clip also showed Zouma chasing the poor pet around the house and even hurling a shoe at it.

Naturally, the outrage was massive and many severe penalties have followed since.

While Zouma remained in the starting lineup for West Ham’s game against Watford, his time on the pitch was filled with taunting from opposition fans.

Aside from this, the club have confirmed that they have fined the player £250,000, a sum which will go towards animal charities.

His cats have also been promptly taken away from his residence by the UK animal welfare charity RSPCA, which confirmed that they are safe and in their care.

Update on viral footage of cats
We'd like to reassure people that we're investigating and the cats are safe and in our care. We have been dealing with this since before the clip went viral online and we need to follow the proper legal process and not discuss due to UK GDPR laws. pic.twitter.com/LticInSmpn

— RSPCA (England & Wales) (@RSPCA_official) February 9, 2022

Furthering his many punishments, his sponsor German sportswear brand Adidas have also confirmed that they have decided to end their professional relationship with the player.

Adidas: "We have concluded our investigation and can confirm Kurt Zouma is no longer an adidas contracted athlete."

— Ben Rumsby (@ben_rumsby) February 9, 2022

Going by various reports online, this might not be the end of the penalties with some reports even suggesting jail time in France.

Pleased to see that Kurt Zouma could face a four year jail sentence for the act of cruelty to his cat. That’s the sentence possible in France, and he’s a French citizen, where a formal complaint has been made to the authorities.

— Mike Claridge (@mjclaridge) February 9, 2022

While the legibility of such reports may vary, what stands confirmed is the massive stain on Zouma’s reputation this case has left.

And it remains to be seen whether Zouma can regain any goodwill amongst fans in the future.