Kurt Zouma / 180 hours community service + banned from keeping cats for 5 years

While we are here . Is horse racing considered animal abuse ? Is a jockey smacking a horse with a whip to go faster considered ok in the UK ? Or is this like when a poster brought up veganism.

Add to that the treatment of some of the not so good horses. Like that trainer pictured sitting on the dead horse about a year ago.
 
Are we slowly getting round to the silly argument that if someone thinks it's ok to watch a horse race, then they have no right to be upset about a puppy being punched in the face?
 
If we are all honest, exploiting animals for our own personal gain can be considered abuse of animals, so to a greater extent eating animals, using them for sport, having them as pets, breeding them for specific activities, neutering them etc., is all 'abuse', it's just different types. It's obviously easier to sympathise with this case because it's embedded into the moral code we live by - that if you have a pet it's not okay to hit them for your pleasure. There are arguments to say that the other aspects should also be embedded into that moral code. I think what is key in this case is that difference, but it's hard not to be hypocritical.
I find this whole thing fascinating as it's not something that I am particularly used to other than being told as a child don't feck with animals when you're visiting the US as they value them more than they value you .

Now I would never strike a cat , but then I would never strike a horse with a whip yet I see one being made a fuss about by everyone and I've never really seen anyone make a fuss or at least this kind of fuss about hitting horses for entertainment just so it can win them some money. I'm not trying to do a whataboutism thing I just don't understand why one is mostly seen ok (except from activists) while the other is seen as a sackable offense. Maybe I'm missing something
 
Well done Moyes. I’m tired of this agenda for the country to be governed by Twitter. He’s been punished. West Ham do not have to ban their player. If they did have to ban him, then he’d be banned and it would be out if their hands. But they think a fine is sufficient, which is their prerogative. Every Tom, Dick and Harry feels too entitled to a say in every decision than anyone ever makes nowadays.
 
Are we slowly getting round to the silly argument that if someone thinks it's ok to watch a horse race, then they have no right to be upset about a puppy being punched in the face?
It will get to the point that if you wear clothes that have a high likely hood of child slave labor then what Greenwood did isnt so bad is it. What about supporting Newcastle where it is owned by a Islamic fundamentalist regime. They do bad stuff so what a few footballers do is not so bad is it? Fk it lets just punch puppies in the face, steal kids bikes and treat a few women like sht whilst eating McDonalds cheeseburgers. Its all good. If anyone questions you. Just say well at least Im not racist. Then they will let you go.
 
Not sure why there's so much whataboutism in here, why can't people focus on one issue and condemn it independently anymore?
Because we live in an ever evolving game of the Persecution Olympics, no ones plight can be worse than mine etc.
 
Well done Moyes. I’m tired of this agenda for the country to be governed by Twitter. He’s been punished. West Ham do not have to ban their player. If they did have to ban him, then he’d be banned and it would be out if their hands. But they think a fine is sufficient, which is their prerogative. Every Tom, Dick and Harry feels too entitled to a say in every decision than anyone ever makes nowadays.

Would’ve you reacted the same if Gerrard had kicked cnut zouma’s child?
 
I find this whole thing fascinating as it's not something that I am particularly used to other than being told as a child don't feck with animals when you're visiting the US as they value them more than they value you .

Now I would never strike a cat , but then I would never strike a horse with a whip yet I see one being made a fuss about by everyone and I've never really seen anyone make a fuss or at least this kind of fuss about hitting horses for entertainment just so it can win them some money. I'm not trying to do a whataboutism thing I just don't understand why one is mostly seen ok (except from activists) while the other is seen as a sackable offense. Maybe I'm missing something

There is an element of hypocrisy of course but hypocrisy is a defining characteristic of humankind. We're great at it. The simple answer is that people like cats and dogs more than they like horses. This is because a lot of people own cats and dogs (about 50%) and have a close emotional bond with them. As such the idea of harming a cat for entertainment is repellent to them. Horses are very expensive and more niche. There are some debates from time to time about cruelty in horse racing but I suppose there isn't enough interest in the subject for it to get mass appeal. Horsey people tend to be country people too and they often have a different outlook on such matters.
 
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Would’ve you reacted the same if Gerrard had kicked cnut zouma’s child?

I haven’t reacted at all. And if Gerrard had kicked a child, I imagine the powers that be would have come to a different conclusion on the punishment required anyway. Manchester United have come to a decision on what action they will take against Greenwood. West Ham have made theirs regarding Zouma. With Suarez, it was deemed to meet a threshold where a decision was taken by the league and not just left to the club, hence his ban. With Zouma, it clearly hasn’t. The league isn’t banning him. West Ham have chosen to fine him. That is that, it’s their decision.

If we are talking about an offence that has not been deemed sufficient for the Police to make an arrest, or the league to issue a ban, why the feck to West Ham have to cave in to today’s episode of Twitter objection and ban their player? The answer is, they don’t. Twitter will be off trying to take someone else’s job from them within a couple of days anyway. The club should do as they see fit, within the parameters set, which they have.
 
I haven’t reacted at all. And if Gerrard had kicked a child, I imagine the powers that be would have come to a different conclusion on the punishment required anyway. Manchester United have come to a decision on what action they will take against Greenwood. West Ham have made theirs regarding Zouma. With Suarez, it was deemed to meet a threshold where a decision was taken by the league and not just left to the club, hence his ban. With Zouma, it clearly hasn’t. The league isn’t banning him. West Ham have chosen to fine him. That is that, it’s their decision.

See, that is what we’re trying to change. For me there’s no difference if you kick a child, a woman or a cat, you are a scumbag anyway.
 
I guess Michael Antonio missed Edison Cavani's three match ban for sending a friend a message on Instagram in his own language that the League thought could have been perceived as racist.
 
There is an element of hypocrisy of course but hypocrisy is a defining characteristic of humankind. We're great at it. The simple answer is that people like cats and dogs more than they like horses. This is because a lot of people own cats and dogs (about 50%) and have a close emotional bond with them. As such the idea of harming a cat for entertainment is repellent to them. Horses are very expensive and more niche. There are some debates from time to time about cruelty in horse racing but I suppose there isn't enough interest in the subject for it to get mass appeal. Horsey people tend to be country people too and they often have a different outlook on such matters.


Thank you for explaining this to me.
 
See, that is what we’re trying to change. For me there’s no difference if you kick a child, a woman or a cat, you are a scumbag anyway.

And if that was the accepted view, the repercussions Zouma received would of course be equivalent to what he would have got had he kicked a child. But it isn’t, and it hasn’t. As a result, West Ham are allowed to follow suit with that approach.

A line needs to be drawn from where people feel entitled to share their opinion and a corporate entity, governed by a shitload of legislation, are dictated to by the unqualified populace. It would have been like people demanding Manchester United drop Ryan Giggs because he slept with his brother’s wife, and we, the people of Twitter, think that is scummy behaviour and want him dropped. United would need to be above that, without also not necessarily agreeing with Giggs’ actions.
 
Nothing, maybe because the RSPCA is still investigating.

Doesn't change the fact that what he did is criminalised and punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

The Police have left a ‘criminal investigation’ to the RSPCA? Right. And the RSPCA are still conducting their investigation, yet have removed the cats already?

The Police clearly don’t care, and might just about put out a couple of tweets due to pressure from the UK Twitter government.
 
Not sure why there's so much whataboutism in here, why can't people focus on one issue and condemn it independently anymore?

Because things don’t happen in a vacuum - NOTHING is perceived independently if you think about it.

Issues like animals rights and / or racism are systemic - they exist throughout all of Western society, and thus, when you have an issue of a cat being mistreated by a famous black man - who is regularly racially abused - and the handling of said issue by a media that is famously institutionally racist, it will be difficult (and erroneous) to discuss as though these issues are in a vacuum.

You may be ‘tired’ of race being brought up, but I guarantee you that ‘tired’ is but a drop in the ocean of the exhaustion that BAME folk feel on the subject.
 
To state that people who get tired of politics and racism being brought into every thread do not understand the issues is a very daft statement from you. Get off your high horse and stop acting like you know better than others. You know, to ask people to stay on topic doesn't make you a racist right? Or not being able to understand it's a problem?
Being in a position to be able to 'get tired' of hearing about racism is pretty privileged. You can say that, in your opinion, this specific incident and the outrage behind it is not related to the race of the player without just fobbing off the notion of racism being ingrained in literally every aspect of society to some degree.
 
Nothing, maybe because the RSPCA is still investigating.

Doesn't change the fact that what he did is criminalised and punishable by up to 5 years in prison.
What’s to be investigated - he grubber kicked the cat to the corner of the kitchen, black and white nothing further to look into.

The police aren’t doing anything, nor should they.

Hes been punished enough, maybe a suspension from the FA but that isn’t happening, obviously.
 
Because things don’t happen in a vacuum - NOTHING is perceived independently if you think about it.

Issues like animals rights and / or racism are systemic - they exist throughout all of Western society, and thus, when you have an issue of a cat being mistreated by a famous black man - who is regularly racially abused - and the handling of said issue by a media that is famously institutionally racist, it will be difficult (and erroneous) to discuss as though these issues are in a vacuum.

You may be ‘tired’ of race being brought up, but I guarantee you that ‘tired’ is but a drop in the ocean of the exhaustion that BAME folk feel on the subject.
You articulated in one post what took me 10+ pages. Thank you.
 
Being in a position to be able to 'get tired' of hearing about racism is pretty privileged. You can say that, in your opinion, this specific incident and the outrage behind it is not related to the race of the player without just fobbing off the notion of racism being ingrained in literally every aspect of society to some degree.

Spot on.
 
Can we not give this chap a training course just like that goalkeeper who put up the nazi salute?
 
What’s to be investigated - he grubber kicked the cat to the corner of the kitchen, black and white nothing further to look into.

The police aren’t doing anything, nor should they.

Hes been punished enough, maybe a suspension from the FA but that isn’t happening, obviously.

They would be investigating to see if there are signs of historic abuse, further injuries to the cats etc. In theory he could be prosecuted from the evidence the RSPCA find.
 
Tell us you’re not very bright and a bit racist without telling us you’re not very bright and a bit racist…
So are you telling me just because people think that race isn't involved at all in this incident, that means they are racist? That's an absolutely ridiculous take and I'm getting sick of reading that in here.

Zouma kicked a defenseless animal and is rightly being roasted for it, that's it. It has nothing to do with his skin colour.
 
While we are here . Is horse racing considered animal abuse ? Is a jockey smacking a horse with a whip to go faster considered ok in the UK ? Or is this like when a poster brought up veganism.
It used to get some pushback but modern whips are lightweight & made of foam. They're designed to make a noise when striking the horse that the horse then responds to, rather than to actually cause pain to the horse. However, I'm sure that privately when the horses are being trained they're no doubt taught to associate that noise with some form of pain, I could be wrong but I'm still cynical about the people that train these horses.
 
They would be investigating to see if there are signs of historic abuse, further injuries to the cats etc. In theory he could be prosecuted from the evidence the RSPCA find.
To be honest, I realised that after I posted.

Its a fair point, and hopefully that isn’t the case.
 
What’s to be investigated - he grubber kicked the cat to the corner of the kitchen, black and white nothing further to look into.

The police aren’t doing anything, nor should they.

Hes been punished enough, maybe a suspension from the FA but that isn’t happening, obviously.

Indeed, the Police have nothing to investigate. The incident was caught on camera and the man himself has already confessed and apologised. He’s bang to rights.
 
Just my two cents:

The over-reaction is astounding. What did he actually do? It was a bit of deft skill, breaking the cats fall and sending it across the floor with a well-timed sweep. It's not like he volleyed its head off or punched it off a wall. The cat wasn't even injured. Yes, it doesn't look good and he comes across as an idiot, but come on! Get a grip.

The 'racism' discussion that has entered the debate is a red herring. Antonio was asked a loaded question nobody else was asking or thinking, and take into account it was coming from click-bait media (Lads bible ffs). Nobody is questioning their dubious motives as that's their only purpose, to create click-bait media which they can sell adverts on top of. Everyone engaging with the racism debate is being taken for a ride.

The most disturbing aspect of this nonsense is the social approval / disapproval aspect to it (think 'cancel culture'), which is the final goal and purpose of social media, where 'good' citizens do the bidding of faceless tech billionaires busy creating a Black Mirror style dystopia for everyone.

Could be considered controversial!
 
You may be ‘tired’ of race being brought up, but I guarantee you that ‘tired’ is but a drop in the ocean of the exhaustion that BAME folk feel on the subject.

You sure mate? I mean, imagine the exhaustion one must feel upon being subjected to ad nauseum discussions of racism on the internet. Like someone graciously offered earlier, one would rather be racially abused in real life...
 
I'm trying really hard to figure out what in the feck this has to do with race, and I'm getting absolutely nowhere. :lol:
 
Are we slowly getting round to the silly argument that if someone thinks it's ok to watch a horse race, then they have no right to be upset about a puppy being punched in the face?
I guess the issue is more about the idea that maybe we need to re-evaluate how we treat other animals.
 
Surprised people are getting so much uproar and debate about Antonio's response.

Was quite clearly a guy who didn't want to throw his teammate under the bus on national TV getting out of answering the question, nothing deeper.
 
Because things don’t happen in a vacuum - NOTHING is perceived independently if you think about it.

Issues like animals rights and / or racism are systemic - they exist throughout all of Western society, and thus, when you have an issue of a cat being mistreated by a famous black man - who is regularly racially abused - and the handling of said issue by a media that is famously institutionally racist, it will be difficult (and erroneous) to discuss as though these issues are in a vacuum.

You may be ‘tired’ of race being brought up, but I guarantee you that ‘tired’ is but a drop in the ocean of the exhaustion that BAME folk feel on the subject.
Hang on I didn't even mention race, I was more leaning towards the Vegan arguments... not sure what it has to do with race either. Man abuses cat and is pulled through the coals by social media, are you surprised? I doubt it would matter whether he was white or black, remember that woman who put a cat in the bin? She got demolished.
 
Being in a position to be able to 'get tired' of hearing about racism is pretty privileged. You can say that, in your opinion, this specific incident and the outrage behind it is not related to the race of the player without just fobbing off the notion of racism being ingrained in literally every aspect of society to some degree.
In a football forum. This is not the only crap thread I'm talking about I've seen trump and biden names mentioned in threads about upcoming managers so stop acting like you don't know this is a general problem with this forum and not exclusive to this thread. Footie discussion threads being derailed with these topics. Also hilarious you mention privelige when no clue what race I am myself. Either way pointless discussion.