JOSE MOURINHO took a dig at former player Kurt Zouma after being asked about his preference of dogs or cats.
The ex-Chelsea boss was being interviewed by former midfielder John Obi Mikel for his Obi One podcast.
YouTube/The Obi One PodcastJose Mourinho made an outrageous joke referencing Kurt Zouma’s cat-kicking scandal[/caption]
GettyZouma played under Mourinho during his second spell in charge of Chelsea[/caption]
PAZouma was fined and banned from owning cats for five years after a video emerged of him kicking and slapping his pet cat[/caption]
During the interview, the Fenerbahce manager was asked whether he prefers cats or dogs.
Mourinho replied by saying: “Dogs.”
But never one to shy away from controversy, the sharp-tongued 62-year-old then raised his hands in the air and added: “But I don’t have a problem with cats.
“I’m not Kurt Zouma.”
The joke saw the 62-year-old and Obi Mikel burst into laughter.
It came as a reference to Zouma’s cat-kicking scandal in February 2022.
In a leaked Snapchat video obtained exclusively by The Sun, the then West Ham defender was seen kicking and slapping his pet cat in his kitchen in a video filmed by brother Yoan.
His club condemned the act and fined him £250,000, which they said was the maximum they were able to hand out.
The Frenchman pleaded guilty to two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
Zouma avoided a jail sentence for the crime but was fined £8,887 and handed a 12-month community order with 180 hours of unpaid work.
He was also banned from keeping cats for five years.
Speaking about the sickening incident, 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.”
Zouma, now 30, left the Hammers in August 2024 to join Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Orobah.
He played under Mourinho during the Portuguese manager’s second spell at Chelsea.
Mourinho is a known dog lover, and admitted in 2019 he had had a “very sad” Christmas because his beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Leya, had died on Christmas Day.
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