- Kurt Zouma has been confirmed as the new captain of West Ham by David Moyes
- Last year he broke silence on difficult 12 months after kicking his cat
By KATHRYN BATTE FOR MAILONLINE
David Moyes has confirmed Kurt Zouma will remain as West Ham captain for the rest of the season.
Moyes has stood by the defender since he hit the headlines when a video of him and his brother Yoan abusing a cat went viral last year.
Footage showed Zouma kicking the Bengal cat across his kitchen before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head.
Moyes described Zouma’s actions as ‘diaboloical’ at the time but refused to banish him from the squad. The defender has repaid Moyes’ faith with his performances on the pitch and was rewarded with the captain’s armband for the first four games of this season.
After impressing in the leadership role, Zouma will now continue to lead the team for the foreseeable future.
‘Kurt will continue as captain, yes,’ Moyes said. ‘He’s done a good job.
‘We’ve won three and drawn one in the opening four games so yes, he’ll remain as captain.’
West Ham condemned Zouma’s actions at the time and fined him two weeks’ wages worth £250,000.
The club pledged the fine would be handed to a number of animal charities, while Zouma apologised for his actions.
Zouma was also prosecuted by the RSPCA and pleaded guilty to two counts under the Animal Welfare Act when he appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London last May. He was sentenced to 180 hours of community service.
