THE furore that has surrounded the Barclays English Premier League club West Ham’s defender Kurt Zouma over an incident where he was filmed kicking a cat once again highlights the deep rooted extent of racism not only in football but across the board.

Despite denials to the contrary and pretenses by football stakeholders in the globe that they are ‘fighting’ racism, the reality is that the issue is and has been lying deep in the not so pure souls of whites

It has been a ticking time bomb since time immemorial and has been threatening to explode, spreading across the black community, extinguishing them and leaving everything in its wretched wake extinct.

Let no one, especially black people of this great world be fooled by the fib that this issue has anything to do with a cat.

The signs are there, and have been there, unveiling themselves ominously over the shrilling walls that whites simply do not like blacks.

It is as simple as that.

The anger and fury by whites in England attest to this assessment.

It would seem like they were eagerly waiting for the slightest of provocations to pull the trigger.

It therefore did not come as a surprise that the cat incident triggered the avalanche of angry outbursts and anti-Zouma campaigns that have been trending in London.

We will not be fooled by those lies.

The cat was just a convenient excuse by whites to out their long held bitterness.

Zimbabwe is a clear and good example of a country and a people who have borne the brunt of that bitterness from the days of colonialism and now neo-colonialism where whites are frantically trying to oust a democratically elected black Government so that they can reverse the gains of the liberation struggle.

Because we are blacks who proudly own and control their land, naturally resources and the economy, whites are up in their arms over that set up.

They want to control our land.

They want to own and plunder our natural resources.

They want to be in charge of our economy.

Which is why we are of the view that there is much more to Zouma’s cat incident than meets the eye.

The anger over the cat incident is disconcerting.

It is as if Zouma has committed worse crimes than some of their ‘beloved’ stars.

As if he destabilised the ‘revered and respected’ British monarchy in particular and the white community in general.

Let us give due attention to the saga and unpack the dishonesty that has been exhibited by those who have openly shown their resentment towards the unfortunate Zouma.

Born on October 27 1994 in Lyon, France, Zouma is a son to Central African Republican emigrants who made his debut at the tender age of 16.

Therein lies the source of the problems he is currently facing-his African roots.

Whites love animals more than they care about black people.

Which begs the question: Where have they been when blacks are being abused, harangued and murdered in broad daylight especially in the US?

While Zouma has since apologised for the ‘incident’ it is the abrasive manner in which West Ham sponsors and mainly the white world has responded to the fiasco that has naturally and understandably infuriated black people who have suffered racial abuse and continue to endure the same almost on a daily basis.

The gangly defender’s personal contract with sportswear manufacturer Adidas was terminated on Wednesday last week over the cat issue.

“We have concluded our investigation and can confirm that Kurt Zouma is no longer an Adidas contracted athlete,” read a statement from Adidas.

But this is the same Adidas that stood by and defended former Liverpool FC striker Luis Suarez after he was found guilty of racially abusing former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

The hypocrisy is astounding.

When the English national team lost the 2020 Euro Cup final to Italy at Wembley Stadium, black players in the team like Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka were viciously attacked by marauding England supporters for letting the team down.

Zouma was picked for selection and started in West Ham’s 1 nil win over Watford on February 8.

The defender was booed throughout the match by ‘angry’ fans from both teams.

The decision by West Ham boss, David Moyes attracted fury from the club sponsor, insurance provider Vitality which announced that it had severed its ties with the London based club.

“We were very distressed by the video we have seen of Kurt Zouma,” read a statement from Vitality.

“At Vitality, we condemn animal cruelty and violence of any kind. We are hugely disappointed by the judgement subsequently shown by the club in response to this incident, and as such, we are suspending our sponsorship of West Ham with immediate effect.

We will now be further engaging with the club to understand what actions they will be taking to address the situation.”

National League club Dagenham & Redbridge FC have since suspended his brother Yoan who is alleged to have filmed and subsequently posted the cat kicking video on Snapchat.

The club issued a statement saying:

“However, Dagenham & Redbridge would like to again reiterate that it condemns any form of cruelty towards animals and fully understands the reaction of its supporters.

The club therefore decided that until the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) has completed its investigations, Yoan will not play for Dagenham & Redbridge in any competitive match.

Any further action deemed necessary to be taken will be made at the conclusion of the RSPCA investigation.”

Zouma’s teammate, and Jamaican international striker Michail Antonio’s response to a Sky Sports News reporter aptly sums up the frustrations of black players in world football.

“So do you think what he’s done is worse than racism?” Antonio asked.

“I am not condoning a thing that he’s done. I don’t agree with what he’s done at all. But there’s people that’s convicted- been caught-for racism and has played football afterwards.”

We will stand by Zouma as we have done with other black people across the globe with the firm belief that racism is at play here.

After all in our part of the world cats are used for witchcraft purposes, which could be manifesting through the unpalatable anger of those whose witchcraft is manifesting itself through their brazen attempts to recolonise Africa.