Havertz family hurt by trolls

Arsenal boss Arteta warns of terrible consequences for online hate campaign against misfiring striker Kai; player’s wife slams those targetting her unborn child

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has flagged the “terrible consequences” of online abuse after Kai Havertz’s family was targeted on social media after Sunday’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United. 

Havertz missed chances during the game and failed to convert his penalty in the shootout as the Gunners crashed out. The Germany international and his family came in for stinging criticism.  One online user wrote to Havertz’s wife Sofia: “I’m going to come to your house and slaughter your baby. I’m not joking just wait.” Another wrote: “I hope you have a miscarriage.” Sofia shared screenshots of the threats and wrote to her 500,000-plus followers on Instagram: “For anyone to think it’s OK to write something like this is so shocking to me. I hope you are so ashamed of yourself.” Arsenal have reported the abuse to the police and are working with a specialist data firm to try to identify the culprits. 

Also Read: Near-flawless Paolini eases into next round

Arteta addressed the issue on Tuesday, on the eve of the north London derby against Tottenham. “It’s incredible, honestly. And we really have to do something about it, because accepting it and hiding it, has terrible consequences. It’s something we have to eradicate from the game, because it’s so cynical as well,” he told reporters. 

Arteta pointed out how the whole stadium was singing for Havertz after he scored in a 1-0 win against Ipswich less than three weeks ago. “So, where’s the perspective? We are all responsible for this narrative and cannot look elsewhere. It’s a serious matter. It affects him, it affects me, it affects everybody in the industry. We may accept it and say that it’s part of our job, yes, but there are certain limits, and the line has to be drawn,” he added. 

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!