LONDON: West Ham on Wednesday fined Kurt Zouma the “maximum amount possible” for mistreating his cat as the RSPCA charity said it had taken two animals belonging to the France defender into care.
The 27-year-old has also lost his deal with sportswear giant Adidas over the disturbing video showing him dropping, kicking and slapping his pet.
The RSPCA animal welfare organization described the video as “very upsetting” and is leading the investigation while cooperating with police.
Around 200,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Zouma to be prosecuted as the public backlash intensifies in a country renowned for its love of animals.
West Ham issued a fresh statement on Wednesday saying Zouma was complying with the RSPCA, including delivering his two cats to the charity for assessment.
“Kurt is extremely remorseful and, like everyone at the club, fully understands the depth of feeling surrounding the incident and the need for action to be taken,” the club said.
“Separate to the RSPCA’s investigation and pending further sanction once the outcome of that process is determined, West Ham United can confirm that Kurt Zouma has been fined the maximum amount possible following his actions in the video that circulated.
“The player has immediately accepted the fine and has requested that it is donated to animal welfare charities.”
Reports said the fine would total around £250,000 ($340,000), with standard Premier League contracts allowing for a maximum fine of two weeks’ wages.
The RSPCA, which is working with police on the case, tweeted that the cats were “safe and in our care.”
“Our priority is and has always been the wellbeing of these cats,” said a spokesman. “They’ve been taken for a check-up at a vets and then will remain in our care while the investigation continues.
“We’re grateful to everyone who expressed their concern for these cats. We were dealing with this issue before the video went viral online and are leading the investigation.”
Adidas, the defender’s official personal kit supplier, confirmed it had cut ties with Zouma, saying in a statement: “We have concluded our investigation and can confirm Kurt Zouma is no longer an Adidas-contracted athlete.”
Insurance and investment company Vitality announced it was suspending its sponsorship as West Ham’s “official wellness partner,” saying it was “distressed” by the video.
A spokesman for Heineken UK, West Ham’s “beer and cider partner,” said it was appalled at the contents of the video and welcomed the actions the club were taking.
West Ham had previously said they would be dealing with the matter internally, adding: “We would like to make it clear that we in no way condone cruelty toward animals.”
But Zouma, who had previously apologized for his actions, was nevertheless selected by manager David Moyes for Tuesday’s 1-0 win against Watford at the London Stadium.
Responding to criticism, Moyes insisted he was an “animal lover” but was adamant he had to do what was right for his club, who are fourth in the Premier League table.
Zouma got a taste of the depth of feeling as he was relentlessly booed by Watford supporters, with even West Ham fans joining in some of the jeering.
French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet said Wednesday it was “obviously a shocking act of mistreatment.”
“This gratuitous, stupid and nasty act of violence appears all the more astonishing since I have never heard anyone speaking badly of Kurt Zouma. On the contrary, he is a boy known to be respectful,” Le Graet told AFP.
Maggie Roberts, director of veterinary services for the Cats Protection charity, said West Ham’s decision to select Zouma “sends an appalling message to fans and the wider public.”
The reaction has also been strong in France, with animal rights groups condemning Zouma’s behavior.
The SPA animal welfare charity said the defender should never play for France again in a letter to the French Football Federation seen by AFP.
West Ham fine Zouma for abusing cat, clothing sponsor cuts ties
https://arab.news/nw25x
West Ham fine Zouma for abusing cat, clothing sponsor cuts ties
- Zouma has also lost his deal with sportswear giant Adidas over the disturbing video showing him dropping, kicking and slapping his pet
- Around 200,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Zouma to be prosecuted
Egypt reveals restored colossal statues of pharaoh in Luxor
- Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt
LUXOR: Egypt on Sunday revealed the revamp of two colossal statues of a prominent pharaoh in the southern city of Luxor, the latest in the government’s archeological events that aim at drawing more tourists to the country.
The giant alabaster statues, known as the Colossi of Memnon, were reassembled in a renovation project that lasted about two decades. They represent Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt about 3,400 years ago.
“Today we are celebrating, actually, the finishing and the erecting of these two colossal statues,” Mohamed Ismail, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said ahead of the ceremony.
Ismail said the colossi are of great significance to Luxor, a city known for its ancient temples and other antiquities. They’re also an attempt to “revive how this funerary temple of King Amenhotep III looked like a long time ago,” Ismail said.
Amenhotep III, one of the most prominent pharaohs, ruled during the 500 years of the New Kingdom, which was the most prosperous time for ancient Egypt. The pharaoh, whose mummy is showcased at a Cairo museum, ruled between 1390–1353 BC, a peaceful period known for its prosperity and great construction, including his mortuary temple, where the Colossi of Memnon are located, and another temple, Soleb, in Nubia.
The colossi were toppled by a strong earthquake in about 1200 BC that also destroyed Amenhotep III’s funerary temple, said Ismail.
They were fragmented and partly quarried away, with their pedestals dispersed. Some of their blocks were reused in the Karnak temple, but archeologists brought them back to rebuild the colossi, according to the Antiquities Ministry.
In late 1990s, an Egyptian German mission, chaired by German Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian, began working in the temple area, including the assembly and renovation of the colossi.
“This project has in mind … to save the last remains of a once-prestigious temple,” she said.
The statues show Amenhotep III seated with hands resting on his thighs, with their faces looking eastward toward the Nile and the rising sun. They wear the nemes headdress surmounted by the double crowns and the pleated royal kilt, which symbolizes the pharaoh’s rule.
Two other small statues on the pharaoh’s feet depict his wife, Tiye.
The colossi — 14.5 meters and 13.6 meters respectively — preside over the entrance of the king’s temple on the western bank of the Nile. The 35-hectare complex is believed to be the largest and richest temple in Egypt and is usually compared to the temple of Karnak, also in Luxor.
The colossi were hewn in Egyptian alabaster from the quarries of Hatnub, in Middle Egypt. They were fixed on large pedestals with inscriptions showing the name of the temple, as well as the quarry.
Unlike other monumental sculptures of ancient Egypt, the colossi were partly compiled with pieces sculpted separately, which were fixed into each statue’s main monolithic alabaster core, the ministry said.
Sunday’s unveiling in Luxor came just six weeks after the inauguration of the long-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum, the centerpiece of the government’s bid to boost the country’s tourism industry. The mega project is located near the famed Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx.
In recent years, the sector has started to recover after the coronavirus pandemic and amid Russia’s war on Ukraine — both countries are major sources of tourists visiting Egypt.
“This site is going to be a point of interest for years to come,” said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy, who attended the unveiling ceremony. “There are always new things happening in Luxor.”
A record number of about 15.7 million tourists visited Egypt in 2024, contributing about 8 percent of the country’s GDP, according to official figures.
Fathy, the minister, has said about 18 million tourists are expected to visit the country this year, with authorities hoping for 30 million visitors annually by 2032.
