"I hope you have a miscarriage": Kai Havertz's wife Sophia Havertz gets online abuse after penalty miss
Arsenal Football Club has launched an investigation after Sophia Havertz, the pregnant wife of midfielder Kai Havertz, was subjected to shocking online abuse.
The abuse followed Havertz's missed penalty during Arsenal’s FA Cup shootout against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, which resulted in the team’s elimination from the competition.
Sophia Havertz, who announced her pregnancy in November, posted screenshots of the threatening messages she received on Instagram. One message read: “I’m going to come to your house and slaughter your baby I’m not joking just wait,” while another said, “I hope you have a miscarriage.” The messages were sent from Instagram accounts @campo.jr1 and @kingaimz10, respectively.
In response, Sophia shared the messages on her Instagram story, expressing her disbelief: “For anyone to think it’s okay to write something like this is so shocking to me… I hope you are ashamed of yourself.” She also called for more “respect” from fans.
The abuse against Sophia is part of a wider issue of online harassment faced by footballers and their families. On the same day, Chris Wreh, a striker for National League team Tamworth FC, revealed he had received a racist message after playing against Tottenham Hotspur in another FA Cup match. The abusive message included racial slurs and threats, which Wreh shared on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “After an amazing day today, this is the last thing I expected to see when I opened Instagram. Nevertheless, thank you for all the support today. Fans were unreal.”
Arsenal confirmed they are investigating the accounts that targeted Havertz’s wife.