Chelsea's Ben Chilwell criticised by RSPCA after tug of war with tiger

Chelsea and England defender Ben Chilwell has been criticised by animal welfare chiefs after he and a group of friends took part in a tug of war with a tiger.

The footage of Chilwell's actions comes just months after his former Blues teammate Kurt Zouma was filmed kicking his cat. West Ham defender Zouma and his brother Yoan - who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge - have both been subject to widespread criticism for their actions.

Chilwell's tug of war was reportedly part of a "tiger tug" - an attraction offered by the Busch Gardens theme park in Florida, with The Sun obtaining footage of the act. However, despite it being an organised attraction, critics have pointed to the lack of respect shown to the animal by the England international.

Chilwell has been away in Florida during the international break while recovering from injury. The 25-year-old suffered a knee problem before the turn of the year, and Chelsea confirmed in December that he would miss the second half of the season due to surgery on his ACL injury.

Animal charity the RSPCA, meanwhile, has criticised the act in which Chilwell is thought to have been taking part. "We don't feel this activity promotes respect for these wild animals and should not be marketed for public entertainment," the group said.

"Zoos often state that their aim is to educate the public and have a positive influence on visitor behaviour in ways that will directly benefit conservation. Whilst we understand zoos which do this may feel that a 'tug-of-war' provides physical enrichment for big cats, there are many alternative ways of doing this," a statement from the charity read.

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While some fans on social media have criticised Chilwell for his actions, others have taken aim at the venue for offering the attraction. "If there's any harm being done to that tiger, it's certainly not by Ben Chilwell," one said, while another said "Challenge the zoo not the player".

Chilwell, who joined the Blues from Leicester City in 2020, was part of Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2020 but did not play at the tournament. "The way I try to look at it, I was disappointed that I wasn't playing in such a massive competition in England - I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed," he said.

Chelsea confirmed in December that he was likely to miss the remainder of the season due to ACL surgery. He had scored four times for club and country before sustaining the injury, but has not featured since the Blues' Champions League group stage victory over Juventus in November.