3 Dead from world cup excitement,Let's take it easy people

Barely six days since the 201 FIFA World Cup began in Brazil, three Chinese football fans have reportedly died after staying up all night to watch matches broadcast from Brazil, reports said on Tuesday.

The report said a 39-year-old Shanghai man died on Sunday after watching World Cup games for three consecutive nights.

The report added that the man, identified only by the surname Zhou, died of a stroke while watching the match between Uruguay and Costa Rica.

It was gathered that the deceased had been in reasonable health but had a history of high blood pressure.

Also, a 25-year-old man was reported to have been found dead in his computer room at 7am on Saturday in the eastern city of Suzhou, Jiangsu province.



He was said to be found in front of his TV hours after the Netherlands beat Spain 5-1 in their first round game on Friday, which finished at around 5am Chinese time.

According to the Xinhua news agency, doctors said the death was related to an excessive lack of sleep, but couldn't be sure whether it was sheer exhaustion or a possible heart attack.

The time difference between Suzhou and Brazil is 11 hours, meaning fans have to stay up through the night to follow the World Cup, and it appears this particular enthusiast took things a little too far.
Deaths during major sporting tournament is not a new problem in China, whose time zone rarely tallies with whoever is hosting the World Cup.

A similar problems were reported for both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups in Germany and South Africa.

Also, a former professional footballer Li Mingqiang, 51, died from heart attack in the north-eastern city of Shenyang on Saturday after watching the game between Spain and the Netherlands.

The official provincial news website reported that he died of suspected exhaustion after watching a group B match between Chile and Australia.

It was reported that Li's friends called emergency services but they were unable to revive him.

Football fans worldwide are advised to consider having a nap first before thinking of watching football matches all night.

-naij