After Kurt Zouma’s fine for kicking a cat essentially guaranteed his status as the club’s top earner, West Ham face tough questions from its players regarding the club’s stringent pay structure.
A few West Ham players are alleged to be unhappy because Zouma earns substantially more than they do, with some willing to raise the issue with the club.
Zouma’s club penalties of two weeks wages, which will be sent to animal welfare organizations, was widely reported to be £250,000, effectively revealing the central defender’s weekly wage of £125,000.
Although sources claim that the former Chelsea star’s wage isn’t quite that high, his status as the club’s highest-paid player is now well-known among the players.
When Zouma joined from Stamford Bridge in the summer, speculation about his West Ham salaries was intense. But true information regarding each player’s contract is often unsubstantiated.
However, given the apparent confirmation of Zouma’s pay package this week, those initial fears have been confirmed.
After being damaged financially by sponsors Experience Kissimmee and Vitality’s decision to sever their ties with the London Stadium club as a result of Zouma’s unsettling behavior, the Hammers now face the prospect of players demanding significant wages hikes.
Andriy Yarmolenko and Michail Antonio, who recently signed a new contract, both make in the neighborhood of £100,000 per week, including bonuses.
However, a number of players regarded as equally vital to Zouma, such as Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, and Vladimir Coufal, make substantially less.
The pressure on West Ham to make Zouma unavailable for selection increased on Thursday as Dagenham & Redbridge suspended the defender’s brother Yoan, who filmed his sibling torturing the cat before publishing the clip to social media, pending an inquiry by the RSCPA.
Behind the scenes, however, the Frenchman’s teammates have rallied around him in the aftermath of the video’s release, despite the defender’s vilification.
West Ham’s players believe the outcry for Zouma to face severe punishment and the harshness demanded by some is exaggerated.
Some of David Moyes’ stars have voiced displeasure with the massive criticism this incident has sparked in comparison to past situations.
Former West Ham goalkeeper Chris Kirkland requested Zouma’s dismissal earlier this week, claiming he would not play with the defender and that his time in England was done. Kirkland backed up his comments on Wednesday, suggesting the Zouma incident was worse than racism, a stance that has earned the ex-Liverpool goalkeeper his own reaction, with his viewpoint not being well received by many in the game.
‘I’m not condoning a thing that he’s [Zouma] done – I don’t agree with a thing that he’s done at all,’ Antonio added, reflecting the sentiment among West Ham’s players.
‘However, there have been people who have been convicted, caught for racism, and then gone on to play football.’ They were penalized with an eight-game suspension or something like that.
‘However, people are now clamoring for people to be fired and for them to lose their jobs.’ I just had to ask everyone out there this question… Is what he’s done any worse than what those who have been convicted of racism have done?’
Similar claims have been made on social media, claiming that Zouma’s public censure – specifically, Adidas’ decision to dismiss him as a client – has racist overtones.
After racially abusing Patrice Evra and biting Giorgio Chiellini, the sporting giants persisted with Luis Suarez.
Meanwhile, because the event has nothing to do with football, the FA will not pursue a disrepute complaint against Zouma.
While the FA’s top brass are said to be privately denouncing the defender’s actions, the governing body will not go any further.