Murder Charges After Football Fans Clash in Uganda

At least two Ugandan football fans are facing murder charges after a man was killed in the capital, Kampala in a row over the result of a match in England.

A youth councillor died from stab wounds after intervening in a fight after Arsenal lost to Manchester City on Friday.

Allan Kakumba died moments after being admitted to the hospital the following day, the Daily Monitor newspaper reports.

Police said in a statement that two suspects were in custody.

“We shall be arraigning the suspect in court soon,” the spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police, Luke Oweyesigire said.

Mr Oweyesigire said Mr Kakumba, 25, had intervened when his brother Titus Kyendo, an Arsenal fan, was caught up in a fight with Manchester City supporters.

This comes less than a week after an Arsenal fan was bludgeoned to death in Adjumani in the West Nile district.

Richard Ukuyo was hit on the back of the head with a club after infuriating an anguished Manchester United supporter following Arsenal’s victory against them last month.

Police said the deceased was a well-known Arsenal fan.

He had been arguing over Eddie Nketiah’s last-gasp goal for Arsenal, according to local online site Daily Express.

Fanatic followership

English football is widely followed in Uganda, as in many countries across Africa.

Its popularity has been further boosted by the spread of betting, which may explain why some are taking the results even more seriously than in the past, according to Joseph Kabuleta, former head of the Uganda Sports Press Association.

The resurgence of Arsenal this season has given their fans rare hope, which some have taken to extreme lengths.

When Arsenal beat rivals Manchester United 3-2 in January to go five points clear at the top of the Premier League, eight Arsenal fans were arrested in the eastern city of Jinja after they paraded through the streets with a replica Premier League trophy to celebrate the win.

Police said the group did not have a permit to hold the procession, which is a public order offence in Uganda.

BBC/Emmanuel Ukoh