CHINA: Old Man Goes on Rampage after Brazil's Defeat in World Cup

NANJING (Nanjing Morning Post), July 5, 2006: An elderly Chinese man went on a rampage in Nanjing after Brazil's defeat to France in the World Cup quarterfinals last weekend. The man ran amok in a city square hitting people with a stick and shouting "The Brazilians lost! There is nothing worth watching! I don't want to watch any more games!" The man was arrested by police but not until after he had grabbed a bystander and bit him "fiercely", the Nanjing Morning Post reported. Another pensioner in China's former capital was similarly distraught and was arrested for running around the streets naked carrying a banner reading "Brazil Must Win." Despite the absence of their team from the finals and the fact that most games are broadcast in the middle of the night, many Chinese have become obsessed by the finals. State news agency Xinhua reported that a truck carrying construction materials rammed into a trailer on the Shanghai-Ningbo highway on Wednesday, writing off the vehicle. "I didn't sleep well because I was watching the World Cup," the driver surnamed Zhang told the police. "I had been driving for six hours to get back in time for the (France-Portugal) semi-final before the crash. I think I might have fallen asleep at the wheel." Source: Xinhua