A 17-year-old boy has been arrested after Sophia Weber, the pregnant wife of Arsenal forward Kai Havertz, received abusive messages on Instagram following the team’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.
The incident occurred after the 25-year-old German striker missed a penalty during Arsenal’s shootout loss at the Emirates Stadium on January 12.
Sophia, who is expecting her first child with Havertz, shared screenshots of the vile messages on her Instagram story, describing the abuse as “shocking” and urging people to be more respectful.
Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed the arrest of a teenager from St Albans on suspicion of malicious communications. He has been released on bail as investigations continue.
Arsenal has also launched its own inquiry into the abuse and is reportedly working with the data technology company Signify to identify those responsible. Instagram has since removed the offending messages for violating its policies.
The abusive messages included disturbing threats, with one individual writing, “I’m gonna come to your house and sl*ughter your baby I’m not even joking just wait,” while another said, “I hope you have a miscarriage.”
Sophia addressed the incident in her Instagram story, stating:
“I’m not sure what to even say, but please be more respectful. We are better than this… For anyone to think it’s okay to write something like this is so shocking to me. I hope you are so ashamed of yourself.”
The incident highlights the ongoing issue of online abuse targeting football players and their families, prompting calls for stricter measures to combat such behavior.
