‘Is This Worse Than Racism?’-Antonio Bemused By Reaction To Zouma’s Cat-Kicking Video
Michail Antonio is bemused by the reaction to teammate Kurt Zouma’s cat-kicking incident, asking whether what he has done is worse than racism.
Zouma has received widespread criticism after a video of him emerged on social media maltreating one of his two pet cats on Sunday.
There have been calls for Zouma to be dropped from the France national team while West Ham boss David Moyes has been criticised for fielding the former Chelsea man against Watford on Tuesday.
Zouma has been fined by the Hammers and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(RSPCA) have taken custody of the two pet cats.
The 27-year-old has also lost an endorsement deal with Adidas as a result.
Antonio believes the spotlight on Zouma’s actions outweighs the punishment some players receive for engaging in racist incidents.
Asked about the reaction to the Zouma situation, Antonio responded: "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 has done at all.
"But 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 and 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 convicted of racism done?"
