“Do you think what he’s done is worse than racism?” - West Ham's Antonio responds to claims that Zouma should face further punishment
West Ham United striker Michail Antonio has given his opinion on the current ordeal surrounding teammate Kurt Zouma and videos that emerged of the defender abusing his pet cats.
The videos, which surfaced on Tuesday, have been thoroughly condemned by the football world. Many people believe Zouma should be sacked by West Ham.
- @footballdaily🗣 "I've got a question for you... do you think what he's done is worse than racism?"
Michail Antonio gives a powerful response when asked about the situation at West Ham with Kurt Zouma.
🎥 - @footballdaily
https://t.co/Wo3MRXcIn2
Antonio gave another perspective on proceedings highlighting the key issue of racism. Speaking to Football Daily he said:
"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."
Antonio continued:
"But there's people that are convicted, been caught for racism, and have played football afterwards. People are now calling for people to be sacked, for them to lose their livelihood."
Antonio's words hold merit given the poor track record footballing organizations have had in punishing racism.
One case that has been highly scrutinized is former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who in 2011 racially abused Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
Suarez was slapped with an eight-match ban but given a mere £14,000 fine for his actions.
Another is John Terry, who was found guilty of using racist language toward former QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. Terry's punishment was a four-match ban and a £220,000 fine.
These are just two of many cases that have been extremely criticized for lack of severe punishment. With calls for the former Chelsea defender to lose his job, there should be similar reactions to racism in the game.
With regard to Zouma's punishment, Adidas have already announced that they are dropping their sponsorship with the player.
West Ham have fined the player £245k as the fallout from the emergence of the defender's actions continues. David Moyes, controversially, started the Frenchman in West Ham's game against Watford in a decision that has drawn much criticism.
Does Zouma deserve a more severe punishment?
The defender's despicable actions have no place in society let alone the footballing world. It is just another new low for the sport that has constantly been associated with societal issues.
It follows the recent occurrence of domestic violence by Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, who was arrested on suspicion of rape and death threats.
Kurt Zouma has lost his sponsorship deal with Adidas after a video of him kicking and slapping his cat emerged online. https://t.co/cIi71ZWJ5d
The French defender's fine is contentious but compared to some past racist cases it is higher. It is clear that there is a fundamental issue at the core of football when it comes to dealing with players' off-the-field issues and behavior that has no place in society.