Kurt Zouma’s shocking treatment of his pet continues to hold the attention of the footballing world, with the court of public opinion still very much on his case.
A large majority of fans have been disappointed with the moderate punishment meted out to the West Ham defender for abusing his pet cat and posting disturbing footage on his Snapchat.
Despite the dissatisfaction amongst the Hammers supporters, the French defender featured in their game against Watford at home where he was booed by both sets of supporters. He was also set to start against Leicester on Sunday but pulled out of the game citing ‘illness’ during the pre-match warm-up.
Following a 2-2 draw in that game, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness lay in on Zouma’s situation, stating with a clear conscience that he had “zero sympathy” for the player.
Graeme Souness says he has ‘zero sympathy’ for Kurt Zouma after the West Ham defender was filmed kicking his cat. pic.twitter.com/yUpggVtSWg
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 13, 2022
Known for his frequent brutal takes on footballers caught lacking on or off the pitch, Souness strongly condemned the player’s exploitation of the animal for the purpose of entertainment.
He also questioned Zouma’s lack of awareness for having done this in front of a child and expressed his concern over the kind of role model he was displaying for the many children who idolize footballers.
Despite the Liverpool legend’s very serious tirade on the player, fans also managed to see a lighter side to Souness’ defence of the cat, especially when he says – “For me, that cat hadn’t done anything wrong”.
No way Souness is talking about Zouma’s cat like they’ve accused it of an innocuous foul pic.twitter.com/afLeeLHOV1
— Zak ⭐️⭐️ (@ZG1999_) February 13, 2022
Souness: volcanic here.
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) February 13, 2022
“that cat hadn’t done anything wrong”
Graeme Souness: a cat man, and a football man.
— John Brewin (@JohnBrewin_) February 13, 2022
Graeme Souness – “For me that cat hasn’t done anything wrong”
— Dell 💦 (@agbnufc_) February 13, 2022
Something I never thought I’d hear on Sky Sports.
Graeme Souness has just inadvertently channeled the Alan Partridge spirit, with a quote that will truly become immortal, and that I never thought I’d hear on live football coverage.
— Philip West (@Philip_RJ89) February 13, 2022
“For me, that cat hadn’t done anything wrong.”
No way is this real. Souness talking about the cat like it had a goal disallowed pic.twitter.com/i5rM2v9Zl3
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) February 13, 2022
Souness rules out that the cat kicked by Zouma was in some way asking for it pic.twitter.com/ecAc1AIXYQ
— Stig Abell (@StigAbell) February 13, 2022
Perhaps a less footballing analogy would have helped Souness avoid such reactions to his genuine questions.
