A Manchester United fan from Kenya allegedly committed suicide after the Red Devils’ 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.
John Jimmy Macharia, from Nairobi, Kenya, is believed to have killed himself after finding out the result from earlier in the day. It has been reported that the 23-year-old jumped from the seventh floor of his building, before later succumbing to his numerous injuries.
Benson Kibue, Nairobi County’s police chief, has confirmed that Macharia told several of his friends that he couldn’t continue to watch his beloved Manchester United lose anymore games, after they had suffered their second defeat at Old Trafford in just four days.
Kibue admitted that this wasn’t the first case of suicide after a soccer match, and he looked to warn young fans about getting too “emotional” over the Premier League.
He stated, “It is not the first time we are losing a young man because of the football in England, which is far away from us. They need to know that it’s just a game.”
Kibue added, “All witness accounts suggest he committed suicide because the team lost but officers are still talking to those who were with him as part of the investigations into the incident.”
Newcastle United’s victory was their first win at Old Trafford since 1972, and it came just days after Everton ended their own 21 year winless streak at the home of Manchester United too.
The Premier League champions recent troubles come just a few months into David Moyes ‘ tenure as their new boss.
Moyes replaced the hugely successful, Sir Alex Ferguson, in the role back in July. However, under his leadership Manchester United currently only have 22 points from their first 15 games, and sit 13 points off the leaders, Arsenal.
Moyes insists that United will still be in contention for the Premier League title in May though, telling the BBC after Saturday’s loss, “I stand firm we will be very close. I hope we are in it at the end of the season.”
He also believes that the majority of United’s fans are on his side, stating, “The United fans have been great. Great to me, and great to the club. They understand there is a big transition going on here. I don’t think they, or me, expected us to have lost five games at this time of the season, but I think they understand totally that there is a change going on.”
[Image via Jaggat Rashidi /Shutterstock]
