FIFA World Cup 2014: Football mania takes three Chinese lives

For many football fans, the game is a matter of life and death, and sadly it's the latter than has struck some overenthusiastic football fans. Three football fans in China have reportedly died after s

By: Nirmalya Dutta | | Published: June 17, 2014 6:08 pm

Tags: FIFA World Cup 2014 In the news

For many football fans, the game is a matter of life and death, and sadly it’s the latter than has struck some overenthusiastic football fans. Three football fans in China have reportedly died after staying up all night to watch the FIFA World Cup matches in Brazil. The Shanghai Daily reported that a 39-year-old man named Zhou died after staying up for three consecutive nights. He was watching Uruguay take on Costa Rica when he collapsed at 3 AM. According to a doctor, Zhou had a history of high blood pressure and suffered a stroke caused by a brain haemorrhage. Also Read - Ganesh Chaturthi 2020: 4 reasons an eco-friendly Ganesha is good for you

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News agency Xinhua reported, 25-year-old was found dead in Suzhou, near Shanghai, while watching Netherland’s sensational victory over Spain, which the doctors blamed on having too little sleep. A 51-year-old man also died while watching the Holland-Spain match with friends. The man suffered from heart failure and the medics couldn’t save his life. In another related incident, a 50-year-old driver who is said to have stayed up all night watching football crashed his vehicle into a bus which resulted in five passengers dying. Also Read - Weight loss diet: How to eat healthy in a restaurant when you want to lose weight

The time difference between Brazil and China means that matches are broadcast at 3AM, 4AM and 6AM. According to various media reports, there was a 50% increase in the number of patients over the weekend, while others suffered from respiratory or stomach problems.

Why the World Cup is bad for your health:

Messed up body clock

The circadian rhythm or your internal body clock is regulated by structures in the brain and determines when you sleep and wake up. Our internal body clock controls our body temperature, blood pressure and release of hormones. Messing with this can be disastrous however and can lead to a variety of conditions like obesity and also cause other chronic conditions. Given that our clock tells us to sleep between midnight and early morning, watching the World Cup will cause some serious disruption which can result in a host of problems.

Emotional Stress

Bill Shankly, the legendary Liverpool manager once said: ‘Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.’ And it can actually kill people. ‘The biggest risk comes from emotional stress which builds up during the match,’ said Jean-Francois Toussaint, director of France’s Institute of Sport Biomedical Research and Epidemiology (IRMES). ‘The risk is naturally greater when a fan’s team loses rather than when it wins because the cumulative stress is negative.’ Read more about the dangers of the fiesta in Brazil.