Kurt Zouma may be regretting his choice of words following Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday.
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The 20-year-old defender started in place of Chelsea legendary John Terry and put in a dominant display as helped the Blues to their first clean sheet of the season and also headed home in the 53rd minute to set the defending Premier League champions on their way to victory.
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However, when asked by beIN Sports about the unsavory incidents involving Diego Costa, Laurent Koscielny and Gabriel which saw the latter get a red card but Costa went unpunished, Zouma admitted he was not surprised by the reaction of Arsenal’s players.“No, we’re not surprised because we know Diego. Everyone knows Diego and this guy likes to cheat a lot and put the opponent out of his game,” Zouma said. “That happened in the game but he’s a really nice guy. We’re proud to have him, like the other players, and we’re happy to win this game today.”
Let’s keep in mind two things. One: Zouma is only 20 years old. Two: English is his second language.
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Okay, he probably shouldn’t have said that his own teammate “likes to cheat a lot” and maybe his age isn’t an excuse, but he is barely out of his teens and is speaking a foreign language, although the young French international center back is obviously more than proficient in expressing himself in English.
Zouma has since taken to social media to defend his comments:
Sorry for any confusion, English is not my first language & I did not mean to accuse anyone of cheating. Simply to say ....
— Kurt Zouma (@KurtZouma) September 21, 2015
....Diego is a player who puts pressure on his opponents & who I have huge respect for.
— Kurt Zouma (@KurtZouma) September 21, 2015