another news that attracted lesser coverage and readers. Spain’s Euro 2008 football victory party turned sour when one fan died and nearly 100 suffered injuries during wild celebrations in Madrid.
The victim, a 40-year-old man, was found lying in a pool of blood by street cleaners in the centre of the capital. The initial media reports suggested that he probably suffered a head wound.
After the national team had broken a 44-year spell, Spaniards took to the streets in wild celebrations that lasted well into the following day. Wrapped in Spanish flags fans let off fireworks and honked car horns.
Police tried to stop fans from jumping into the Cibeles fountain, the traditional way to celebrate a football victory and made baton charges to break up isolated rioting in the capital. More than 50 supporters were arrested for acts of vandalism and public disorder. Luckily there was only one reported death.
The game of football has been closely associated with hundreds of death. Many times it was a result of hooliganism or football riots and many times it was an out come of accidents or stampedes or fights among the fans.
Football and violence have been moving closely since many years. In 1314 King Edward II of UK banned football to prevent football related violence. Most of the football playing nations, have witnessed football related deaths from time to time.
In 1968, over 70 people died when crowds attending a football match in Argentina, stampeded after some youths threw burning papers on each others. In 1971, a fight broke out at a match in Brazil, killing four and injuring 1,500.
In 1964, in another football accident more than 300 football fans died and another 500 were injured in Peru in a riot during an Olympic qualifying match between Argentina and Peru.
In June 2006, Germany beat Poland in a world cup finals match, a result that meant Germany qualified for the second round in the finals. The match was marred by violent clashes between German and Polish fans. The police detained over 300 people in Dortmun