World Cup Death Watch - Update 3

Sadly, there have been eleven eighteen more World Cup related fatalities. The World Cup Death Watch increases to 36 43 as we head into the second round of play.

Happily, my own death is not included in the tally, notwithstanding the many death threats that this series has inspired. But should I die at the hands of football hooligans, let it be known that this was how I wanted to perish.

That would make me the first to die of standard football hooliganism. Of the 36 World Cup fatalities we've seen so far, not a single one has been due to rioting or classic hooliganism. In Kenya, a man died after being stabbed during a fight over the Iran-Portugal game. The stabbing took place in the Feel Good Bar in Nyaribo. China leads the way with World Cup deaths. A South African website reported that six Chinese people have died of heart attacks or stress related to the beloved game. Since one of these death could have been the over-drinking death in Hunan I reported earlier, I'll count this report as five, not six. Another two Chinese fans were killed in a car crash after a night of World  Cup festivities. Why so many deaths in China (nine so far) when they don't even have a team in play? The prevailing theory lays the blame on time zones. It is late at night in China while the games are played in Germany, a perfect recipe for drinking the night away. The same theory is being blamed on the recent spate of Chinese Facial Paralysis.

Other Asian countries are checking in as well. A man in Thailand died of soccer-related drinking injuries, only the drinks in question were coffee and an  unspecified energy beverage. In Vietnam, a 45 year old man suffered a fatal heart attack while watching the Germany-Costa Rica game. And finally, Nigeria was home to the first 2006 World Cup related strangling, where a man was murdered by three boys while all four of them watched the opening match.

To recap the 36 World Cup deaths so far: there have been eleven heart attacks, ten shootings, six electrocutions, two stabbings, two car crashes, one strangling, one death of natural causes and one coffee related fatality. What accounts for the high number of heart attacks? German doctors are using this World Cup to determine exactly that.

No deaths in these United States, despite the hapless American team which would have been eliminated days ago if Italy had not scored a goal against itself. And not only has the US been eliminated from play, we were also humiliated during the World Cup Beer Bowl.

At least our flags are not being ransacked by gangs of marauding monkeys. Verily, Americans should be beat up for not caring enough, like these South Koreans were.

You would think that America would love Soccer, given it's similarity to war. George Orwell described the game as "war minus the shooting," and there has even been at least one full fledged international Soccer war, the 1969 "Soccer War" between El Salvador and Honduras (via Cynical C-Blog).

But it is not to be. Americans like their war straight up. While the rest of the world is hiring witchdoctors, importing prostitutes and nannies, painting their naked women and letting their spiritual life go to shit, the World Cup registers barely a blip on our national radar.

And we'll even be denied the notoriety of being the absolute worst at the game. American Samoa, despite being ranked dead last among the 205 FIFA teams, will be denied the great tradition of determining exactly who is the stinkiest, most worthless team in the bunch.

Oh, the indignity.

(Pics are from this soccer fanatics picture page. Check out these cool World Cup panoramas also. All previous World Cuo Death Watches can be seen here. Thanks to Rob and Amanda. If you have any World Cup links, send them to me at ken at wfmu dot org )

UPDATE: The count jumps from 36 to 43. One adult and two children were killed by speeding cars during the celebrations that followed Ghana's victory over the US. Another person died after being stabbed in Toronto during a Ghanaian victory celebration. And in South Africa, three men died while watching the World Cup when they suffocated on the exhaust of the generator which powered their television set.

Comments

[krisx]

>>notwithstanding the many death threats that this series has inspired
seriously??

[Mac]

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2006/06/23/three_killed_in_ghana_post_match_parties/

[Mickey Mephistopheles]

krisx: See the plethora of comments posted on Part 2.

Egad! I never thought this series would inspire so much animosity.
Actually, I wish someone would more regularly post US service death counts in Iraq; maybe it would serve as an object lesson. Also, I didn't get the impression that anyone was making fun of the Bradford and Hillsborough deaths, which were, as correctly mentioned, not the fault of the fans.

Just remember: E is for England. Kindly have some. Maybe put on some old Prodigy 12-inches.
Peace

[mick]

Man stabbed to death in crowd of World Cup revellers
Last updated Jun 23 2006 11:53 AM EDT
CBC News

Three men are in custody after a young man was stabbed to death amid World Cup celebrations in a Downsview parking lot Thursday.

Just after 6:30 p.m., about 400 soccer fans were celebrating Ghana's 2-1 win over the U.S. outside a strip mall on Jane Street, a block south of Wilson Avenue, when a fight broke out, Toronto police said.

Police broke up the fight and found a man lying on the pavement, suffering from numerous stab wounds to the back and chest.

Reon Paul, 22, of Toronto was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Witnesses said Paul may have been the victim of wearing the wrong colours of clothes in a gang neighbourhood. Paul was wearing a blue bandana.

A 20-year-old man and a 19-year-old man, both of Toronto, and a 17-year-old male are charged with second-degree murder.

Police are still looking for another suspect, described as a black male in his late teens who is tall and slim. He was wearing a long white T-shirt and a black baseball cap at the time of the incident.

The two men and one youth are scheduled to appear in court at 2201 Finch Avenue West on Friday. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.

[Kendall]

Uh oh it's already at the 43 that I guessed. I doubt it will stay that way =/ Especially because the crazies that harassed the last blog entry will probably blow up WFMU to prove that killing people is wrong.

[Janey Yonkers]

Don't forget the tens of thousands who must have died of boredom watching Switzerland-Ukraine yesterday.

[Leblanc23ANTONIA]

Various people in the world receive the personal loans from different banks, because it's easy.