Man (46) tragically dies of World Cup Fever !
By Seán Fay in London
Geoffrey Campbell, a 46 year-old office worker from Barnsley in the North of England, tragically died from World Cup Fever yesterday, after losing a 14th month battle with the illness.
Campbell contracted the disease in April of 2005 soon after he won a lottery to obtain a "Follow your team ticket," which would have allowed him to attend every England game for the duration of the tournament.
The sense of pure excitement he got from the prospect of watching the England team in Germany really got the better of him when they finally qualified, but his condition only became critical in the last two months when Wayne Rooney's broken foot and the call-up of Theo Walcott to the English panel, saw near saturation coverage of the World Cup begin within the English media.
Work colleagues of Campbell's said that at this stage, he would be on the internet all day looking for updates on Rooney and Walcott, with his work and family life suffering as a result.
Then once the pre-tournament friendlies started it all became too much for Campbell, who will now have to watch the World Cup from his armchair in the sky.
Dr. Alex Waterson, an expert in the field of World Cup Fever, says that Campbell's death just shows how dangerous the disease has become.
"In the modern age people can obtain sports news from practically anywhere," he said.
"TV, internet, even mobile phones, there is saturation coverage all
over the place, and everybody should try and absorb it all in
moderation or else they seriously run the risk of catching the fever," he added.
However, Campbell also said that those who suffer from the fever usually calm down once the tournament starts.
"When people start seeing games like Tunisia vs. Saudi Arabia on TV they usually realise that while still great, the World Cup isn't the unbelievable feast they build it up in their minds to be, and while the fever may remain, it is never quite as intense," he said
from
www.thesportingglobe.com
