Adidas have confirmed that they have cancelled their sponsorship with West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma, after disturbing footage emerged of him kicking and slapping his pet cat on Sunday.
The 27-year-old has since been fined £250,000 by the Hammers and he has also had his cats taken away by the RSPCA, who are conducting an investigation.
Adidas launched an internal investigation into Zouma's actions on Tuesday, stating: "No animal should be subject to cruel and unwarranted abuse, and we are investigating the incident internally."
The sportswear company have since released the following statement: "We have concluded our investigation and can confirm Kurt Zouma is no longer an Adidas contracted athlete."
West Ham initially stated that they "unreservedly condemns the actions of our player", but they have since received widespread backlash after the defender started in the 1-0 win against Watford on Tuesday night.
Zouma could potentially face up to four years in prison in his native France after a legal complaint was filed against the Frenchman in Paris, which has led to lawyers working for La Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis, the largest animal rights group in France, contacting prosecutors.
Oliver Thomas
