West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma has been fined £250,000 and has had his pet cats taken away by the RSPCA, after he was filmed kicking and slapping them in his London home.
The 27-year-old issued an apology on Sunday afternoon after the disturbing footage, filmed by his brother Yoan Zouma, emerged on Snapchat.
West Ham initially stated that they "unreservedly condemns the actions of our player", but they then backed David Moyes's decision to start the defender in their 1-0 win against Watford on Tuesday night.
The Hammers have since released a statement which reveals that they have fined Zouma "the maximum amount possible" – believed to be around two weeks' wages – and the Frenchman has requested for the fine to be donated to animal welfare charities.
West Ham have also confirmed that the club are supporting an RSPCA investigation into Zouma's actions and insist that the matter "continues to be handled with the utmost seriousness."
In addition, Zouma's pet cats have been taken away by the RSPCA, who released the following statement: "Two cats are now in RSPCA care. Our priority is and has always been the well-being of these cats.
"The cats have been taken for a check-up at the vets and will remain in our care while the investigation continues. We're grateful to everyone who expressed their concern for these cats.
"We were dealing with this issue before the video went viral online and are leading the investigation. We continue to investigate so we cannot comment further at this time."
Essex Police revealed that they were looking into the footage on Tuesday before the RSPCA intervened and removed the cats from Zouma's possession.
Oliver Thomas
