West Ham forward Michail Antonio questions critics of Kurt Zouma's cat incident

West Ham United forward Michail Antonio has questioned the reaction to teammate Kurt Zouma's cat-kicking incident and asked whether his actions were "worse than racism."

A video emerged where the West Ham defender can be seen kicking and slapping his family pet. Zouma issued a public apology on Tuesday after a public outcry over the video

Zouma played on Tuesday night in West Ham's victory over Watford and it surprised many that he was aggressively booed by sections of the crowd.

After the victory, the club confirmed that Zouma will be fined around £250,000 and the money will be donated to animal charities.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Antonio said: "I've got a question for you. Do you think what he's done is worse than racism?"

"There are people that have been convicted and been caught for racism and have played football afterwards.

"They got an eight-game punishment or something like that, but people are now calling for people to be sacked and to lose their livelihood.

"I've just got to ask this question to everyone out there: Is what he's [Zouma] done worse than what the people convicted of racism done?"

A spokesperson for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (RSPCA) also announced on Wednesday that Zouma's pet cats have been taken into care.