An ambulance carrying the body of (inset, left) Dinu Alex passes by Arumanoor where Argentina fans have put up a flex board in support of the team. Photo: Reju Arnold. (Inset, right) Renjith. Kottayam: The suicide of a 30-year-old-man here after being heartbroken over the poor performance of Argentina in the group matches of the ongoing FIFA world cup in Russia has sent shock waves across the globe.
The body of Dinu Alex, an ardent fan of Argentina's star player Lionel Messi, was found in the Meenachil river on Sunday, a day after he went missing. A suicide note was also found from his house.
However, this is not the first instance of soccer addiction and star worship claiming youngsters' life in Kerala.
At least two such deaths had been reported earlier. In 1998, Puthiyedathu Biju, 24, took his life after Argentina crashed out of the world cup. Argentina was shown the door by the Netherlands who beat them 2-1 in quarter-finals. Biju belonged to Aloor in Thrissur.
In 2010, Thachanad Renjith, 26, hailing from Meppadi in Wayanad, ended his life after being unable to bear the stunning performance of Argentina against Mexico in the pre-quarter finals (3-1). Renjith was a hardcore Brazil fan. Kerala is known for the rivalry between fans of the two major Latin American teams, especially during football world cups.
Dinu, a native of Aarumanoor, near Ayarkunnam, took the extreme step after Argentina lost to Croatia 3-0. The defeat, coming after a draw with Iceland (1-1) dimmed the team's chances of entering the next stage. Argentina will meet Nigeria in a decisive match on Tuesday.
Dinu's suicide was widely covered by media in English, Russian and Spanish.
