Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has strongly condemned the abusive messages sent to Kai Havertz’s pregnant wife, Sophia, following Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.
Havertz missed a crucial penalty during the shootout on Sunday, January 12, leading to Arsenal’s elimination. Shortly after, Sophia shared two vile messages she received on Instagram, some of which targeted her pregnancy. She described one comment as “shocking” and responded, “I hope you are so ashamed of yourself.”
Arsenal has reported the incident to the police and is collaborating with specialist data firm Signify to identify those responsible.
Ahead of Arsenal’s north London derby against Tottenham on Wednesday, Arteta expressed his outrage: “It’s incredible, honestly. We really have to do something about it because accepting and ignoring this has terrible consequences. This kind of behavior must be eradicated from the game. It’s so cynical and entirely dependent on the result of a single action. No other industry faces this.”
Arteta highlighted the inconsistency in fans’ reactions, recalling the support Havertz received just weeks earlier: “When we played Ipswich on December 27, we won 1-0, and Kai Havertz scored. The whole stadium was singing his chant, ‘Waka, Waka.’ That was only 20 days ago. Where is the perspective?”
He called for collective responsibility: “We are all responsible—the media, the fans, everyone. This is a serious matter. It affects me, it affects him, and it affects everyone in this industry. There are limits, and a line must be drawn.
“We focus so much on technology and what’s next in football. What’s next should be ensuring this kind of abuse is prohibited. It cannot happen. That’s it.”
