/ 5 July 2006

Football fan killed in Kenya over World Cup result

Kenyan police said on Wednesday they were searching for two men suspected of beating to death a fan of Brazil’s World Cup team after the reigning football champion’s weekend loss to France.

The 21-year-old Brazil fan died after being savagely attacked by the France-supporting suspects who allegedly chided and ridiculed the victim when the Brazilian side lost to the French on Saturday, police said.

The three had been watching the match at a popular video shop in a remote village in western Kenya when they began to fight over Brazil’s 1-0 loss to France and the altercation spread into the street, they said.

The victim, Austin Ochieng Okello, was beaten unconscious and left on a footpath, but then managed to stagger to a nearby home in Siaya village where he was found dead on Sunday, police said, citing witness accounts.

Siaya district Deputy Police Chief Charles Gathiari said the assailants, who fled the scene but are known to villagers, will be captured and charged with murder.

”We have dispatched a team of officers to track them down with the help of the villagers,” he told Agence France-Presse. ”They are known people and hopefully within two to three days they will be arrested.” — Sapa-AFP