Kurt Zouma's Brother Yoan Suspended By Dagenham & Redbridge After Filming Cat Kicking Video

Kurt Zouma's brother Yoan has been suspended by Dagenham & Redbridge for his role in filming a horrific video of his sibling kicking a cat.

In the footage, Kurt, the West Ham defender, was filmed kicking his pet cat with laughter heard ringing in the background.

In a statement, the club said:

"Dagenham & Redbridge FC would again like to reiterate that it condemns any form of cruelty towards animals and fully understands the reaction of many of its supporters.

"The Club has therefore decided that until the RSPCA has completed its investigations, Yoan will not play for Dagenham & Redbridge in any competitive match."

They added that "any further action deemed necessary to be taken will be made at the conclusion of the RSPCA investigation".

Both cats have now been taken into the care of the RSPCA and Kurt Zouma has been fined the "maximum amount possible" by West Ham - understood by Sky News to be two weeks' wages worth £250,000.

The animal welfare charity has said the animals are not available for rehoming.

An RSPCA spokesperson said:

"Two cats are in our care, have been seen by a vet and are being well looked after.

"They will remain in our care while the investigation continues and are not available for rehoming although we have lots of beautiful cats who are looking for new homes.

"We understand the high level of interest in this incident and can reassure you that our experienced officers are carrying out a full and thorough investigation.

"Due to the fact that this is a live investigation, we are limited in what we can say, however we will provide updates when we are able."

The RSPCA is now leading an investigation, alongside Essex Police, which Kurt Zouma is co-operating with.

Shortly after the footage emerged, he issued a statement saying there were "no excuses" for his behaviour and he was "deeply sorry" if the video upset anyone.

Becky Thwaites, head of public affairs at national pet charity Blue Cross, said she fully supported a prosecution.

A Change.org petition, calling on Zouma to be prosecuted, has been signed by almost 290,000 people. 

'Is it worse than racism?'

West Ham forward Michail Antonio has questioned whether his teammate's mistreatment of his pet was "worse than racism".

Antonio said he couldn't condone his 27-year-old teammate's actions, but questioned the public backlash when football has a problem with discrimination.

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Antonio told Sky's Milena Veselinovic on Thursday:

"There's people that have been convicted and been caught for racism, and have played football afterwards.

"They got an eight-game punishment or something like that, but people are 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 (Zouma) done worse than what the people have done that (were) convicted of racism?'"

Sponsors drop Zouma and West Ham

Despite fierce criticism of the player's actions, West Ham manager David Moyes still named the defender in the club's starting line-up in Tuesday's match against Watford.

Zouma was booed by fans, who reportedly heckled "that's what your cat feels" when he stumbled on the pitch.

The decision to play him was criticised and on Wednesday, Vitality said it was suspending its sponsorship with the club.

"We are hugely disappointed by the judgement subsequently shown by the club in response to this incident," it said.

Adidas has also dropped its sponsorship deal with Zouma.

West Ham United Supporters' Trust treasurer, Kevin Hind, said:

"Professional footballers should not be treated like God - if footballers break the law, they should be punished.

"In terms of animal cruelty, if this had occurred in any other field of work, the employee concerned would have been suspended if not summarily dismissed."