West Ham forward Michail Antonio questions reaction to Kurt Zouma cat-attack video

Michail Antonio has questioned the reaction to Kurt Zouma’s cat-attack video and asks if what his West Ham teammate has done is worse than a player who has been found guilty of racism.

Zouma has been fined £250,000 by West Ham while his two pet cats have been seized by the RSPCA following the sickening video which was initially posted on Snapchat by his brother Yoan.

The French defender has also lost out on his lucrative personal sponsorship with Adidas, who terminated its deal with the 27-year-old on Wednesday.

David Moyes controversially opted to play Zouma in West Ham’s 1-0 victory over Watford on Tuesday evening and the Hammers have faced calls to sack the player in response to the incident.

But Antonio has pointed out that there are players who have been found guilty of racism but have been able to continue their careers in football.

When asked for his opinion on Zouma’s actions, Antonio told Sky Sports on Thursday morning: ‘I’ve got a question for you. So… 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 are people that have been convicted and been caught for racism, and have played football afterwards.

‘They got punished, they got an eight-game punishment or something like that, but people are now calling for people to be sacked and 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 who have been convicted of racism?’

In a statement released on Wednesday, West Ham claimed that Zouma is ‘extremely remorseful’ and is ‘co-operating fully’ with the RSPCA’s investigation.

‘West Ham United can confirm that the club is supporting an