French international defender Kurt Zouma pleaded guilty to British justice on Tuesday for mistreating his cat, following the release of a video that sparked outrage.
His brother Yoan, 24, recorded and shared a video showing the 27-year-old West Ham player kicking and hitting his cat.
Accused of complicity, Yoan Zouma also appeared before a London court on Tuesday and acknowledged having “helped, encouraged, advised and incited his older brother to commit an offence.”
The events date back to February 6.
The player’s two cats have since been in the hands of the humane society RSCPA, which launched proceedings for Kurt and Yoan Zouma to be charged under animal welfare protection legislation.
The London club did not suspend the player and even made him play a game the night the case was revealed, sparking a huge wave of protests.
The player was eventually fined around 300,000 euros ($320,000), the highest possible, imposed by his club and sports equipment manufacturer Adidas broke a sponsorship deal with him.
West Ham then assured that, according to the information available to the club, the cats had not “suffered any physical injury.”
The London team later assured that the financial sanction applied to the player was donated to animal protection associations.
