Teen arrested after probe into online abuse of Arsenal striker Kai Havertz's wife
Updated . First published
Police arrested a teenager following the online abuse of Arsenal striker Kai Havertz and his wife.
Sophia Havertz shared on social media direct messages sent to her after Arsenal was knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United last week.
Arsenal lost on penalties to Cup holder United, with Germany striker Havertz missing a chance from close range to win the game at the Emirates Stadium and then failing to score in the shootout.
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His wife shared two posts on her Instagram story on Monday, including one where someone threatened to “slaughter” her unborn baby.
Hertfordshire Police said the boy, who is 17 years old, has been bailed while investigations continue.
Kai Havertz and his wife Sophia. Instagram
The couple have been together since 2018 and got married last year, with Sophia announcing in November that she was pregnant. She said the alleged perpetrator should be "ashamed."
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta said online abuse of players has "terrible consequences."
FIFA has set up a Social Media Protection Service, which it says protects players, teams and officials from online abuse by keeping their social feeds free from hate.
England’s Football Association said last year it provided funding of around $49,800 to help police clamp down on incidents at the European Championship.
At the previous Euros in 2021, England players Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were subjected to racial abuse on social media after missing penalties in a shootout defeat to Italy in the final.
