Soccer fan dies after 11 all-nighters

A die-hard Chinese fan of England's soccer team died at home in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, on June 19, 2012, after 11 nights of watching games, since the start of Euro 2012.

The Daily Mail UK quoted sina.com as saying Mr Jiang Xiaoshan, 26, was a supporter of England and France, and had spent 11 nights without sleep, all the while spending his days at work.

Mr Jiang watched the match between Italy and Ireland, and drank a lot of beer with his friends in a bar until 5am on June 19, before he returned home to sleep, from which he never woke up.

His mother found him on the bed when she tried waking him up for an evening meal on June 20.
Friends said the news of his death came as a shock as he lived a "relatively healthy life". Mr Jiang was healthy and fit, and was even the main force on his college soccer team. He continued to play after graduation.

According to reports, he was a fanatical football fan who would watch all major tournaments without missing a single match.

Dr Liu Zhiling said multiple factors led to the man's death, including prolonged sleep deprivation, massive amounts of beer, a bath after drinking as well as a low indoor temperature.

Cause of death was low blood sugar and slow blood circulation.

This is not the first time fanatical devotion has led a fan to an untimely death.

According to The New Paper, during the Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 World Cups, there were reports of people being admitted to hospital after their bodies broke down from the lack of sleep.

The problem is not confined to football fans.

Recently, a Diablo fan passed away after playing the game for three days straight. A writer for gaming news site Gameranx, he was discovered dead in his home over a weekend after suffering a heart attack.