Five persons died while a few others sustained injuries in Nigeria’s Southern city of Calabar as soccer-crazy fans celebrated the victory of Manchester United FC over Chelsea in the European Champions League final Wednesday night, the private Guardian newspaper reported Friday.
The paper said the fans died at various locations in the city as they rode aroun d recklessly in vehicles and motorcycles. One fan had his legs cut off in an accident along Calabar road. The passion for the all-English match, played in Moscow, was high across soccer- loving Nigeria, a development usually witnessed when a national team is involved in an international competition. Football leagues across Europe attract unprecedented followership in Africa’s mo st populous nation, to such an extent that most fans don’t even follow the local league.
