Suicides after Argentine loss

On June 30, World Cup favourites Argentina took on France during the third match of 'Round of 16'at the Kazan arena in Russia. The match was a sheer roller coaster ride as even after France scored the first goal, Argentina eventually took a 2-1 lead. France later scored two crucial goals. Although Argentina scored the last one at the 90th minute, they were knocked out of the tournament as France won the match with the score 4-3. Most of the Bangladeshi football-lovers have been supporters of Argentina since the 80s when Diego Maradona used to prove his masterclass on the field. The fan-base continued to grow over the years and a lot of people tipped Lionel Messi and his team for World Cup this year. But after Argentina's nail-biting loss, the Bangladeshi fans had their hopes dashed. There were some who posted disappointing status updates on social media. Some others went live and cried their hearts out. Committing suicide by two young men was perhaps the most tragic incident. One of them was Gopal of Dhamrai who committed suicide by hanging himself. Another was Sagor Molla, who hung himself from a tree in Muksudpur village of Gopalganj soon after Argentina's loss. While passion for football is commendable, killing self for the loss of any favourite team can be termed as simply unacceptable. Football fans need to understand this. The sport of football is nothing but a game where win, loss and draw are inevitable. Football-fans in the country should also think about their family members and loved ones before taking any drastic step.

Naila Hossain,

Uttara, Dhaka

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