Kurt Zouma: West Ham owners slammed after latest twist to controversy – pundit
Alan Hutton has blasted the West Ham board for their handling of the Kurt Zouma controversy over the past week.
The former Scotland defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted manager David Moyes has “taken flak through no fault of his own” over the incident.
Footage emerged last week of the 27-year-old abusing his cat, sparking fury from across the footballing world.
The decision to play Zouma against Watford (8 February), just hours after the video’s emergence, added fuel to the fire.
As quoted by the Mirror on Sunday (13 February), Moyes claimed the defender “made a mistake” and urged for “forgiveness” following his apology and punishment from the club.
However, Hutton suggested the club’s board threw the manager to the lions by failing to take action over the incident.
“I think the owners have to take it out of the manager’s hands if I’m honest,” Hutton told Football Insider’s Russell Edge.
“If they nip this in the bud early on, took him out the firing line, fined him, gave him his disciplinary action, whatever it may be, missing games perhaps, that would have been the best course of action for me.
“Then you’re not asking the manager to make that difficult decision. We all understand his job. He’s there to win football matches and he’s going to pick the best players to play.
“If the owners take that decision out of his hands, he doesn’t have to deal with it anymore. It is what it is.
“I think it’s not been dealt with in the best possible way. The manager has taken flak through no fault of his own. It’s a difficult situation for him but hopefully he can get it resolved soon.”
Zouma missed the 2-2 draw with Leicester City through illness.
The defender has played 16 times across all competitions for West Ham this season.
In other news, a medical expert has revealed the real reason behind Zouma’s late withdrawal against Leicester.