West Ham player Kurt Zouma could face a 4-year prison sentence in his country for kicking and slapping his cat.

A court complaint was filed in Paris against the 27-year-old player, after there was widespread shock over a video clip showing the player attacking his cat at his home, worth about 3 million euros, in Essex, near the British capital, London.

This act prompted lawyers working for La Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis, the largest animal rights group in France, to file a complaint with the public prosecutor.

"We condemn this heinous act and have demanded that the player be suspended from the France national team, and we have filed a legal complaint against him," a spokesperson for the foundation said.

According to Article 113-6 of the French Penal Code, a French citizen can be prosecuted for committing criminal acts outside the country.

Strict new animal protection laws were introduced in France in 2021, meaning that "animal abuse" is now punishable by up to 4 years in prison and a fine of 59,000 euros.

Senior French politicians condemned the act of Zuma - who is from Lyon - and called for his expulsion from the French national team.

This came at a time when Gary Lineker criticized the West Ham team for including Zuma against Watford in the Premier League on Tuesday, describing team coach David Moyes by choosing Zuma in the starting lineup as "deaf to all criticism".

Lineker added that he was "shocked and appalled that West Ham involved Zuma last night."

As a cat owner, Kurt Zouma's abuse his pet has made me feel physically sick of tonight.


How could someone treat their animal like this for sport and cheap laughs?


He must never own a cat again.

pic.twitter.com/tV905qI6pR

— Dan Wootton (@danwootton) February 7, 2022

Moyes had defended the involvement of Zuma, but admitted his displeasure with the video clip.

And this video - filmed by his brother - spread, as Zuma appeared slapping and kicking the cat, as well as throwing shoes on it and chasing it in the room.

West Ham issued a statement on Monday, condemning the player's actions, while Essex Police and Adidas, the player's sponsor, said they were investigating the incident.

Zuma, who apologized for what he had done in this incident, was booed by some fans on Tuesday against Watford, and then coach Moyes was asked about the reason for pushing the player into the starting lineup.

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A post shared by Kurt Zouma (@kurtzouma)

"I am really disappointed with what I have seen and what I have been told, and the club has taken the actions that can be done at the moment and we are working on that in a low light. My job is to try to pick the best team for West Ham, and Kurt was part of the team," Moyes told reporters.

"My job was to win for West Ham, and of course there are some who are frustrated with that, and I totally understand."

West Ham announced that it would deal with the incident internally, but said: "We would like to make it clear that we do not condone cruelty to animals in any way."

After the victory, West Ham advanced to fourth place in the league, one point behind fifth-placed Manchester United, who tied 1-1 with Burnley on Tuesday.