Kurt Zouma: Disgraced star filmed kicking pet cat fined £250k by West Ham United

West Ham defender Kurt Zouma has been fined the “maximum amount” - reportedly £250,000 - by his club after he was filmed slapping, dropping and kicking one of his cats.

The French centre-back went viral after a Snapchat video of the abuse was obtained by the Sun, and has faced intense backlash, including a petition calling for legal action against him.

His two cats have also been removed by animal charity the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) who are leading the investigation into the incident.

Now Zouma’s club have confirmed they are “co-operating fully” with the charity’s inquiries and have separately fined the player “the maximum amount possible”.

The amount - reported to be two weeks’ worth of wages, understood to be £250,000, or twice Zouma’s £125,000 salary - will be donated to animal welfare charities.

In a statement, a club spokesperson said: “West Ham United can confirm the club is supporting an RSPCA investigation into the actions of Kurt Zouma in the video circulated online this week.

“Kurt and the club are co-operating fully with the investigation and the player has willingly complied with the steps taken in the initial stage of the process, including delivering his family’s two cats to the RSPCA 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.

“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, which both he and the club agreed will be donated to animal welfare charities.

“West Ham United would like to reiterate our condemnation of Kurt’s actions and make it clear that the matter continues to be handled with the utmost seriousness.

“However, we believe it is now important to allow the RSPCA to conduct their investigation in a fair and thorough manner, and will be making no further comment at this stage.”

Zouma previously said: “I want to apologise for my actions. There are no excuses for my behaviour, which I sincerely regret.

“I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video. I would like to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy.

“They are loved and cherished by our entire family, and this behaviour was an isolated incident that will not happen again.”