Teenager arrested for death threats towards Spain forward Alvaro Morata

Spain captain Alvaro Morata has spoken regularly about the impact of abuse on social media and the street on his mental health. After the latest episode of abuse, the authorities have taken action.

The former Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid forward has been something of a lightning rod for criticism in Spanish football over the last few years, and has opened up on several occasions publicly about the negative impact it has had on him and his personal life. During the most recent international break, Morata missed a crucial penalty which saw La Roja miss out on the Nations League trophy against Portugal, which was met with a further barrage of abuse.

As reported by Marca, a 19-year-old in Malaga has been arrested on suspicion of death threats made via social media against Morata. The comments also made reference to the 32-year-old’s children. The teenager who proffered the insults then appeared at a police station to report the robbery’ of his personal social media account.

Police agents ascertained that the insults were made from their personal account, and after finding inconsistencies in their version of events seized the 19-year-old’s mobile. The analysis of the metadata confirmed police suspicions that they were in fact the assailant. Sentences for death threats can be up to five years in Spain.

The threat in question was sent to Alice Campello, the Italian model and mother of Morata’s children. Originally Campello had defended Morata against the hatred he was receiving, but then received the following via a private message.

“I’m going to kill your husband, the children as well, I’m going to kill them with my own hands.”

Before the match, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente had backed Morata to continue as Spain captain, declaring that he had ‘plenty of football left in him’. Morata confirmed after the Nations League final that he was considering retirement from the Spanish national team though, having previously cited the abuse as a factor in his enjoyment.