Former top referee Dermot Gallagher has spoken out on claims Newcastle star Chris Wood taunted West Ham’s Kurt Zouma with cat meows.
Newcastle striker Wood allegedly taunted West Ham defender Zouma with cat meows sparking a complaint to the referee.
That’s according to widespread claims online after the 1-1 draw between West Ham and Newcastle at the London Stadium on Saturday.
West Ham boss David Moyes has made it clear he is going to select Zouma after the unsavoury footage which showed him abusing his cat emerged last week.
The Frenchman started for West Ham against the Magpies after missing West Ham’s 1-1 draw with Leicester last weekend due to illness.
The world and its wife has had its say with calls for West Ham to suspend and even sack Zouma.
According to claims online after West Ham’s clash with Newcastle, £25m January signing Wood taunted Zouma by meowing at him like a cat throughout the game.
The claims also state that Zouma’s central defensive partner and West Ham’s goalscorer Craig Dawson complained to the referee about Wood’s taunting (Foot01, Tigerdroppings NewsToday24).
Wood has been hailed some sort of hero on social media for his antics.
Ex ref Dermot Gallagher speaks out on Newcastle star Chris Wood taunting West Ham’s Kurt Zouma with cat meows
But now ex ref Gallagher has delivered his verdict on the alleged incident when speaking on Sky Sports’s Ref Watch today.
“I find this hard to believe to be honest,” Gallagher said while laughing on Ref Watch.
“I just can’t believe a player did that.
“But if a referee hears it he can have a quiet word with the player to ask him not to.
“But it’s not really something you’d get too involved in to be honest.”
Sky Sports pundit Steven Warnock described the incident as comparable to sledging in cricket and says he finds the claims ‘interesting’.
It certainly makes for a good distraction for Wood from the fact Zouma had him in his pocket for most of the game.
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