Restless football fans die watching World Cup

BEIJING - At least three Chinese football fans have reportedly died after staying up to watch the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

A 39-year-old surnamed Zhou in Shanghai died on Sunday after staying up for three consecutive nights to follow World Cup games, the Shanghai Daily reported.

He had a history of high blood pressure and collapsed on his couch while watching the match between Uruguay and Costa Rica. Doctors said his stroke was caused by a brain hemorrhage, the newspaper said.

A 25-year-old man in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was found dead in front of a television at home on Saturday morning, with doctors attributing his death to too little sleep.

Another man, 51-year-old Li Mingqiang who used to be a professional footballer in Dalian of Liaoning province, also died while watching the Holland-Spain game with his friends, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

His friends called emergency services after Li suffered heart failure, but treatment failed to save his life.

Beijing Time and Brasilia Time have a difference of 11 hours, meaning Chinese fans have to stay up through the night to follow the World Cup. The majority of games in the tournament start between midnight and 6 am Beijing time.