Football fan died after staying up for 11 nights to watch Euro 2012
TOKYO – A CHINESE football fan died after going 11 nights without sleep as he tried to watch every single kick of the ball of Euro 2012.
The 26 year-old Jiang Xiaoshan, from Changsha in southern China, was found dead by his mother after Ireland’s 2-0 defeat by Italy on Monday, reported a Hunan province’s newspaper.
Because of the time difference, he reportedly stayed up each night with friends and then went to work the following day.
Following the Ireland versus Italy match, he went back to his Changsha home at 5am on Tuesday, had a shower, fell asleep and never woke up.
“We would rest occasionally but he watched every day and would not miss a single match,” one friend told the newspaper. Friends said Jiang, who they described as an England and France supporter, seemed in low spirits while watching Italy win a place in the quarter finals. “Maybe he felt tired after staying up night after night,” said one friend.
Sources said, however, that the effect of alcohol and tobacco, combined with the chronic exhaustion, was to blame for his death as it weakened his immune system.
It is not the first time a Chinese football fan has suffered from trying to keep up with their on-pitch heroes.
During the Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 World Cups reports surfaced of people being admitted to hospital after their bodies broke down from not sleeping.
