RSPCA deny claims of Zouma donation

WEST HAM want to wait for the investigation into Kurt Zouma’s behaviour to be completed before donating the player’s maximum £250,000 fine to animal charities and sending him on animal welfare courses.

The RSPCA yesterday denied claims that they were already providing education for Zouma and maintained they had ‘not been offered or accepted a donation’.

A statement said: ‘There have been no plans made for animal welfare courses to be undertaken. Our focus remains on our officers carrying out a full investigation.’

Zouma is at the centre of an animal cruelty storm after a video which showed him kicking and slapping one of his pets went viral. His two pet cats have since been seized by the RSPCA.

West Ham remain wary of being accused of prejudicing the RSPCA investigation by arranging any donation or training course for the 27-year-old Frenchman.

David Moyes, the West Ham manager, also said he wants to make sure his player’s mental health is protected amid the ferocious backlash to the video. ‘The boy is so remorseful,’ Moyes said. ‘We have a duty of care. Even the mental health side of things. We’re trying to make sure we give him support.’

He added: ‘He knows he made a mistake. There was a lot of talk about should he or shouldn’t he be playing. The big thing for me was how long do we leave him out of the team? When’s the right time to bring him back?’

Moyes was criticised for his decision to start Zouma in the win over Watford on Tuesday, and the centre-back seems certain to start today at Leicester, where he can expect a hostile reception at the King Power Stadium.