Gary Lineker has revealed that he is shocked by West Ham 's decision to start Kurt Zouma the same day that footage emerged of the defender kicking and slapping a cat in his home.
The night before West Ham's home clash against Watford, the Sun released footage of Zouma harming his cat just a day after he was part of the side that knocked out Kidderminster Harriers in the FA Cup.
The Frenchman's brother, Yoan, is believed to have filmed the incident inside Zouma's home before posting it to Snapchat on Sunday afternoon, where it later resurfaced.
However, despite condemning Zouma's actions and releasing a statement signalling that they would deal with the matter internally, he started the game, and Lineker was just as shocked as the rest of us.
Lineker took to Twitter to express his outrage, as he said: "Shocked and appalled that West Ham played Zouma last night. A tone deaf decision."
Even the West Ham fans were heard booing the Frenchman throughout the entirety of their 1-0 win against Watford, where Jarrod Bowen was once again the hero on a day riddled with controversy and outrage.
Despite the general consensus around the stadium, and across the nation, West Ham boss David Moyes defended his decision to start the Frenchman, as he said: "The club will sort the other side of it out and I will look after the football side."
"My feeling was Kurt has apologised and I understand that a lot of people will not just accept an apology I understand that. But to me, he came out and he said that very honestly and as I said before I had to do my job then and that was to pick the best team I possibly could."
The Met Police have decided not to investigate the video which showed Zouma kicking his cat, although the RSPCA have condemned the "very upsetting" video, and they released a statement which read: "We will always look into and, if necessary, investigate any complaints made to us about animal welfare."
Former West Ham defender James Collins was on Lineker's side as he questioned Moyes' decision to start Zouma, as he told the BBC : "I think there is a lot of anger about [Kurt Zouma being picked to play] and rightly so.
"It's a big call from the football club, I personally don't think it is the right call.
"I don't think the club should have made him available for the game. I think there should be some sort of sanction against him. It's a huge call from the club but in my opinion, they have got it wrong."
Although Zouma played the full 90 minutes against Watford, the situation is not over just yet, as West Ham are set to hold a disciplinary meeting concerning Zouma's actions.
The outcome of the meeting is will determine Zouma's availability moving forward, and an enquiry from the authorities still could be made regarding his actions, despite the initial stance of the Met Police.
