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| (SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – JUNE 12: A man runs after exiting the subway to watch the Brazil-Croatia match from a television jerry-rigged on a shopping cart on June 12, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is the first day of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images via photo: blacksportsonline.com) |
World Cup Fever!
front of his TV set, which was still airing a football match. It is believed that the last game the man watched was Netherlands-Spain (5-1) match.
The body was taken to the local Xiangcheng People’s Hospital, where doctors suggested that the cause of death could have been excessive sleep deprivation and, hence, physical exhaustion. Medics, however, did not specify what exactly may have caused this fatality as they also can’t rule out a heart attack.
Football fans in China have been watching closely broadcasts from Brazil from midnight to 6am Beijing time. The time difference between China and Brazil is 11 hours, meaning that Chinese fans who want to follow matches live may only do so overnight.
There were cases before when a football tournament turned a tragedy in China. During the Euro 2012 a fan spent 11 sleepless nights watching every game of the championship and died from exhaustion.
Back in 2006 and 2010, when World Cups were held in Germany and South Africa respectively, Chinese hospitals saw a surge in patients admitted with symptoms of exhaustion, Xinhua reported
