The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2022
Adidas ended Zouma's boot deal three days after the cat video
A video of Zouma kicking his cat cost him the Adidas contract, a club fine, and his club's own sponsors.
Adidas · West Ham United · 2022-02-09
What happened
In February 2022, videos emerged of West Ham United defender Kurt Zouma kicking and slapping one of his cats, filmed by his brother Yoan at Zouma's home and widely shared online.
The response was fast and formal. On 9 February, Adidas said: 'We have concluded our investigation and can confirm Kurt Zouma is no longer an Adidas-contracted athlete.' The same day, the RSPCA took the cats into its care, West Ham fined Zouma the maximum amount possible — understood to be £250,000, which the club donated to animal welfare charities — and the club's sponsors Vitality suspended its deal and Experience Kissimmee ended its partnership.
Zouma pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal. On 1 June 2022 he was sentenced at Thames Magistrates' Court to 180 hours of community service, a five-year ban from keeping cats, a 12-month community order and about £9,000 in costs; his brother Yoan was ordered to carry out 140 hours of community service.
Why it happened
- The video was the verdict: the conduct was visible before any legal outcome, so there was nothing to wait for — Adidas finished its 'investigation' in days and left in one sentence.
- A sponsor's tolerance has a market price: the same day West Ham fined Zouma the maximum and the club's sponsors suspended or exited, and the cost spread to his employer's sponsorship book.
- The family connection made it worse: the footage was filmed by Zouma's brother and posted, turning a private act into shareable evidence that no denial could walk back.
The lesson
When the act is on video, the contract ends before the trial: Adidas left in three days, West Ham fined the maximum, the club's sponsors followed — reputation risk is priced in hours, not verdicts.
Aftermath
Zouma pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and on 1 June 2022 was sentenced to 180 hours of community service, a five-year ban from keeping cats and about £9,000 in costs; his brother Yoan received 140 hours for filming the video. The RSPCA took the cats into its care on 9 February 2022.
Sources
- Kurt Zouma: Adidas ends sponsorship deal after cat-kicking video — BBC Sport, 9 Feb 2022
- Kurt Zouma: West Ham defender sentenced for kicking cat — BBC Sport, 1 June 2022
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