Police launch investigation into social media abuse aimed at Arsenal forward Kai Havertz’s pregnant wife
Police have launched an investigation into social media abuse aimed at Arsenal forward Kai Havertz’s pregnant wife following the club’s exit to Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Havertz, 25, missed a penalty in Arsenal’s shootout defeat at the Emirates on Sunday before his partner, Sophia, who is expecting her first child with the Germany international, reposted two abhorrent messages she had received on Instagram.
Arsenal tasked data technology company Signify with determining the identity of the abusers and the PA news agency understands that the matter has now been taken up by local authorities.
A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesperson told PA: ‘Officers have received a report of malicious communications towards a Hertfordshire resident on Sunday 12 January. Enquiries are underway.’
Speaking on the eve of Arsenal’s Premier League match against Tottenham, manager Mikel Arteta called for action to be taken.
The Spaniard said: ‘It’s incredible, honestly. We really have to do something about it, because accepting that and hiding this has terrible consequences.
‘It’s something we have to eradicate from the game because it’s so cynical and dependent to a result of an action. There is no other industry like this.
‘When we played Ipswich on December 27, we won 1-0 and Kai Havertz scored. The whole stadium after that is singing the “Waka, Waka” (his chant). That was 20 days ago. Where is the perspective?
‘We are all responsible. You guys (the media) are responsible, everybody is responsible for the narrative and how we talk. We cannot look somewhere else. That’s a really serious matter. It affects me. It affects him and everybody that is in the industry.
‘We can accept it and say ‘that’s our job’, but there are certain limits and the line has to be drawn. We put a lot of attention on technology and what is next in football. What is next in football is that this should be prohibited. It cannot happen. That’s it.’
