West Ham striker Michail Antonio has questioned those calling for Kurt Zouma to be sacked after a video of the defender kicking his cat was shared online this week. The 31-year-old was questioned by journalists as he arrived for training on Thursday and was asked if Zouma should have faced a harsher punishment than being fined two-weeks wages.
Michail Antonio said: “I’ve got a question for you. Do you think, what he’s done is worse than racism? I’m not condoning a thing that he’s done. I don’t agree with what he’s done at all. But there’s been people who have been caught for racism and have played football afterwards. They got punished. They got eight game punishment, or something like that. But people now calling for people to be sacked, for them to lose their livelihood. I’ve just got to ask this question to everyone out there; is what he’s done, worse than what the people have done that have been convicted for racism?”
In 2011, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was banned for eight games and fined £40,000 after an FA disciplinary panel found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
