bol
06-18-2002, 03:22 AM
Fan in critical condition
Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea -- A man who said he wanted to help South Korea's soccer team by becoming a phantom 12th player set himself on fire Friday.
The 39-year-old man was in critical condition, hospital officials said.
Hours before South Korea's 1-0 World Cup win against Portugal, the man lit a candle and bowed several times toward the sea in the southeastern city of Busan. He then poured paint thinner over his body and set himself on fire.
Police said he left a note saying, "The sweat and tears of Coach Guus Hiddink and his players were the biggest birthday gift ever given to me. But we now have to overcome South American and European teams, and I am driven to take this road by impetuosity.
"I will become the 12th soccer player by becoming a spirit and will run for the victory of the Korean team," the note said, adding Korean soccer fans' customary cheer: "Fighting Korea!"
The man was dressed in red, the national soccer team's color.
Police in Bangkok say a man killed his wife in a fight over a remote control and a soccer game.
The suspect says the couple had been fighting because his wife kept nagging him about how lazy he'd become since the World Cup competition began.
He told police his wife upset him when she snatched the remote control from him -- and then switched to a soap opera in the middle of a match.
The fighting eased after a visit to the police station.
But authorities say the suspect lost his temper later and shot his wife.
http://worldcup.espnsoccernet.com/story?id=217146&lang=us
Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea -- A man who said he wanted to help South Korea's soccer team by becoming a phantom 12th player set himself on fire Friday.
The 39-year-old man was in critical condition, hospital officials said.
Hours before South Korea's 1-0 World Cup win against Portugal, the man lit a candle and bowed several times toward the sea in the southeastern city of Busan. He then poured paint thinner over his body and set himself on fire.
Police said he left a note saying, "The sweat and tears of Coach Guus Hiddink and his players were the biggest birthday gift ever given to me. But we now have to overcome South American and European teams, and I am driven to take this road by impetuosity.
"I will become the 12th soccer player by becoming a spirit and will run for the victory of the Korean team," the note said, adding Korean soccer fans' customary cheer: "Fighting Korea!"
The man was dressed in red, the national soccer team's color.
Police in Bangkok say a man killed his wife in a fight over a remote control and a soccer game.
The suspect says the couple had been fighting because his wife kept nagging him about how lazy he'd become since the World Cup competition began.
He told police his wife upset him when she snatched the remote control from him -- and then switched to a soap opera in the middle of a match.
The fighting eased after a visit to the police station.
But authorities say the suspect lost his temper later and shot his wife.
http://worldcup.espnsoccernet.com/story?id=217146&lang=us