They confirmed the news on Twitter
Vitality have announced that they have suspended their sponsorship with West Ham United after video footage on Tuesday showed Kurt Zouma kicking his cat.
A clip obtained from
The Sun on Monday showed the West Ham United defender kicking and slapping his pet cat. The 27-year-old has since
apologised, while the club have also condemned his actions.
West Ham have also confirmed that Zouma has been fined the "maximum amount" and ordered to donate the money to animal charities.
The two cats that the 27-year-old owns are also now in the care of the
RSPCA as
Surrey Police begin their investigation - the organisation confirmed.
Another one of the Hammers' sponsors,
Experience Kissimmee have said that they are 'evaluating their relationship' with the club after they decided to name Zouma in their starting XI for their game against Watford on Tuesday night.
Manager David Moyes however
justified his decision by saying he chose to include the Frenchman for 'footballing reasons.'
But another one of West Ham's sponsors Vitality have confirmed they will no longer sponsor the club in a statement posted on Twitter.
They tweeted: "We were very distressed by the video we have seen of Kurt Zouma. At Vitality, we condemn animal cruelty and violence of any kind. We are hugely disappointed by the judgement subsequently shown by the club in response to this incident. [1/2]"
https://twitter.com/Vitality_UK/status/1491429084752236548
Vitality then added: "As such, we are suspending our sponsorship of West Ham United with immediate effect. We will now be further engaging with the club to understand what actions they will be taking to address the situation. [2/2]"
https://twitter.com/Vitality_UK/status/1491429143204048898
Neither West Ham or Zouma have yet to respond to Vitality's comments.
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