We'll stand by Zou, says Brady

  • by Staff Writer
  • Saturday, 12th February 2022

West Ham United CEO Karren Brady says the club have no intention of parting company with defender Kurt Zouma.

Following a week to forget for the French defender, Brady - who revealed she was "shocked" by the video - insists the club will stand by their £30million summer signing, despite calls to sack him following the publication of a video in which he was seen abusing one of his pet cats.

And she stressed how it would be only fair and just for the defender to be granted the opportunity to atone for his behaviour.




"I feel it is important and appropriate at this stage to stress that Kurt Zouma, the person, is entirely aware of the severity of his actions," she wrote via her weekly tabloid column. "He is extremely remorseful.

"He has said sorry, and has also apologised sincerely to everyone at the Club and the wider public. That is an important first step on what will be a journey of re-education and atonement. And it is a journey we will fully support him on.

"West Ham United is renowned for its reputation as a family club. We care deeply about our community and the people within it. To know that a member of the West Ham family has fallen short of these values hurts tremendously.

"But our values also extend to giving a second chances for those who are remorseful and want to change.

"Our policy around unacceptable behaviour has always been two-fold – where possible to eradicate and rehabilitate. Our approach, which to date has seen many successes, has always been to attempt to understand the root cause of such behaviours and work with the relevant agencies to develop effective strategies to address them.

" At West Ham United, the opportunity of re-education is there for anyone who genuinely wants it. And I know for certain that Kurt Zouma does. He sincerely wants to address what he did."

And the first step to rehabilitation, added Brady, would be for the 27-year-old to work with animal welfare agencies in order to "learn more about the impact of his actions".

"Separate to the investigation, we are already discussing the relevant educational programmes that could help Kurt and support the work of the RSPCA and other animal welfare charities at the same time," she added.

"I realise there will be some who don’t agree with that course of action, those who would like to see Kurt have his livelihood taken away and we acknowledge their hurt and strength of feeling. But I believe that we live in a society in which the vast majority of people still value the fundamental human qualities of forgiveness and redemption.

"We, as a club will work hard alongside Kurt, to ensure that his genuine remorse and regret leads to a determination to address the situation and turn something negative into long-lasting positives."

* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.



More News