David Moyes understands France threat to axe Kurt Zouma over cat cruelty video
David Moyes says he understands why France are ready to give disgraced Kurt Zouma the boot.
Despite his own refusal to drop the West Ham defender over the video showing him kicking and hitting his cat, Moyes will have no issues if Didier Deschamps wields the international axe.
The Gallic coach has confirmed Zouma’s place in the squad is in grave danger after slamming the animal cruelty as ‘intolerable'.
And Moyes insists he backs that hardline stance – as do West Ham – even though he will spark more controversy today by picking Zouma to face Leicester.
The under-fire Hammers boss said: “The French manager has the right to feel as badly as he does. We're exactly the same.
"We feel as badly as anybody. It’s not that he's thinking any worse than us. We have given as big a condemnation."
Whether the outraged public on either side of the channel accept those comments as anything but a contradiction remains to be seen.
Zouma’s appearance in the Hammers' 1-0 home win over Watford on Tuesday evening – less than 24 hours after the video posted by his brother first emerged – received universal criticism.
Moyes is anticipating a red-hot reception at the King Power Stadium this afternoon as he continues to stand by the £29.8million summer signing from Chelsea.
The ex-Manchester United and Everton manager admitted: “Of course, we know we’ll be bringing that bit more noise on us because of the situation with Kurt.
“But as a team and, him, as an individual, we have to expect that.
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“There was a lot of talk about whether we should or shouldn’t play him? The big thing for me was how long do we leave him out – two, four, six games? What would be the period?
“So he played. It will not make any other game any easier.
“But I could think of other people in other walks of life who make mistakes and sometimes, nowadays, it seems apologies are not enough to clear things up.”
The RSPCA have taken Zouma's two cats from his home, West Ham have fined him £250,000 and the 27-year-old could still face criminal charges.
As for West Ham's responsibility to look after the player amid such a ferocious backlash, Moyes said: “The boy's so remorseful and disappointed. So we have a duty of care, even with the mental-health side."
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