Police are investigating online abuse received by the wife of Arsenal forward Kai Havertz.
Sophia Havertz shared on social media direct messages that were sent to her after Arsenal were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United on Sunday.
“Officers have received a report of malicious communications towards a Hertfordshire resident on Sunday 12 January. Enquiries are underway,” a Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesperson told the Press Association on Wednesday.
Arsenal lost on penalties to 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.
His wife shared two posts on her Instagram story on Monday, including one where someone threatens to “slaughter” her unborn baby.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta called for action to be taken.
“It’s incredible, honestly,” Arteta said. We really have to do something about it, because accepting that and hiding this has terrible consequences,” he said. “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.”
Havertz was in action again for Arsenal on Wednesday as they beat rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the Premier League.
When the 25-year-old’s name was read out by the stadium announcer when revealing the teams, there was a large cheer from the home fans.
“There’s a social media perception, then when you come to the stadium and actually hear the real fans and what they think, it’s two different things,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said.
“The cheer he got tonight was ridiculous, it was the loudest cheer of the night when his name called out you could tell that meant a lot to him.”
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