A teenager has been arrested after the wife of Arsenal striker Kai Havertz received sickening messages on social media following the club's FA defeat.
Havertz, 25, missed a penalty in Arsenal's shootout defeat at the Emirates on January 12, before his partner, Sophia Weber – who is expecting her first child with the Germany international – said she had received abusive messages on Instagram.
Posting screenshots of the DMs to her Insta story, she urged people to be more “respectful” and called the abuse “shocking.”
Hertfordshire Constabulary today confirmed that a 17-year-old boy from St Albans has been arrested on suspicion of malicious communications.
Police said he has been released on bail while investigations continue.
Arsenal is also investigating the abuse and is said to have asked data technology company Signify to identify the users.
Instagram removed the offending content for violating its policies.
It came after Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester United.
Havertz was at the heart of the drama during a captivating performance in the Emirates. He was fouled by Harry Maguire and won a penalty by the same scoreline – only for captain Martin Odegaard to see his effort saved.
However, it was the final action that proved to be the most crucial: missing the crucial penalty in the penalty shootout that sent Arsenal out of the competition.
In the aftermath of the defeat, Havertz's wife, Sophia, shared some disgusting messages she received from fans, some of which focused on her pregnancy.
One fan wrote: 'I'm coming to your house and slaughtering your baby. I'm not kidding, just wait.' Another said: 'I hope you have a miscarriage.'
She posted the DMs to her story saying, “I'm not sure what to say but please be more respectful. We are better than this…
“For someone to think it's okay to write something like this is so shocking to me…I hope you're so ashamed.”
Havertz announced the news that he and Sophia were expecting their first child last November, sharing photos of themselves cuddling as Sophia showed off her growing baby bump for the first time.
This came four months after the couple tied the knot and were met with an outpouring of well wishes from their friends, including fellow footballers Ben White, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and Julian Brandt.
Havertz then dedicated his goal against Crystal Palace to his pregnant wife and celebrated by putting the ball under his shirt and sucking his thumb.
But following his setback from the spot against United, some fans have used Sophia's pregnancy to direct hatred towards the couple.
The result is a major blow to Arsenal's hopes of success this season, increasing pressure on Mikel Arteta's side to turn around the Carabao Cup semi-final, which saw them concede a 2-0 deficit in the second leg against Newcastle.
Manchester United, meanwhile, will bask in the triumph and look to continue their FA Cup defense against Leicester City in the fourth round.
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