Skip to main content

Gary Lineker aims random dig at West Ham star Kurt Zouma over cat-kicking incident

West Ham and France defender Kurt Zouma will probably never be able to shake his reputation as a cat-kicker, not so long as Gary Lineker is around anyway

Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker has hit out at Kurt Zouma … for some reason(Image: Getty Images)

Gary Lineker raised a few eyebrows after taking a cat-like swipe at Kurt Zouma, completely out of the blue.


The West Ham star made headlines last year when sickening footage of him kicking and slapping his cat emerged on social media. Over a year-and-a-half has passed since then, and Zouma has long-since been appropriately punished, but that didn't stop Lineker throwing a random barb his way on Saturday.


Ahead of the Hammers' trip to Villa Park on Sunday, the club uploaded a few snaps of Zouma in training to their X (formerly Twitter) account, with the caption: "Our captain @KurtZouma," to which Lineker replied: "Just realised that captain is an anagram of cat pain."


READ MORE: Gary Lineker 'volleyed away' rival crisp brand to Walkers after sneaky paparazzi ploy

READ MORE: Gary Lineker leads tributes to Man Utd legend Sir Bobby Charlton, 86, after death

Fans collectively reacted with the linguistic embodiment of the rolling eyes emoji, with one replying: "Oh for God's sake move on Gary." Another said: "Not funny, and pointlessly petty. It was nearly two years ago ffs," while a third asked: "Ever heard of forgive and forget?"

Article continues below

Zouma pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, under the Animal Welfare Act, and was handed 180 hours of community service at Thames Magistrates Court - where he was confronted by a giant cat. He was also banned from keeping or caring for cats for five years and told to pay court costs of nearly £9,000.

Is Gary Lineker funny? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Zouma leaving court in May 2022
Zouma was summarily punished for his crimes(Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

READ MORE: James Collins says West Ham had player who 'should have been the best in the world'READ MORE: 'I stared down Kurt Zouma as a giant 6ft 7ins cat and he couldn't ignore me'

West Ham also fined the defender, donating the fee to animal welfare charities both in the UK and abroad. Speaking at the time, Zouma said: "It’s been a difficult spell for me and my family. Obviously, I have done something very bad and I apologise again for what I’ve done. I know it was very tough for people to watch and to see that and obviously, I feel very, very sorry.

"I have great remorse about it and now I’m trying to move on with my family and looking ahead. I learned from it, that’s the most important thing, I would say. Obviously, I had support from many, many people around me who helped me stay focused on football and I try to stay happy."

Footage of Kurt Zouma kicking his cat
Sickening footage emerged of Zouma kicking and slapping a cat around in February 2022
Article continues below
Catch every minute of the Champions League 2023/2024
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
£29.99 a month
TNT Sports
Watch it here

TNT is the only place you can watch all the action from the Champions League this year. You can see every game from the group stage right through to the final as Manchester City look to defend their crown as the newest kings of the World's biggest and best football tournament.

Zouma joined West Ham in 2021 after five years on Chelsea's books. He's made 71 appearances for the East London club so far, scoring four goals. He was appointed captain in August following departure of Declan Rice.

Follow Daily Star:



Gary LinekerWest Ham FCPremier LeagueTwitter
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the saleor sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Privacy Notice.