Olayiwola Matthew
A fan of English football club Arsenal, who was celebrating the team’s victory over Manchester United, has allegedly been shot dead by a security guard in Uganda.
Another fan was injured as the guard opened fire on a large crowd of jubilant supporters at a restaurant in Lukaya town in central Uganda, about 100km (62 miles) from the capital Kampala.
It happened towards the end of the match, which Arsenal won 2-0.
A local journalist told the BBC that the building’s manager was angered by the noise that the jubilant supporters were making and asked the guard to intervene.
However, the fans did not heed a warning to quiet down.
Witnesses told the journalist, Farish Magembe, that the owner switched off the power in the restaurant, angering the fans, who responded by making even more noise.
It was then that the guard allegedly opened fire, firing several shots.
The victim, identified as 30-year-old John Ssenyonga, died at the scene. Another long-term Arsenal fan, Lawrence Mugejera, was taken to hospital for treatment.
Both the guard and the manager of the building are on the run after the incident, with the police looking for them.
The regional police spokesman, Twaha Kasirye, was quoted by the Daily Monitor newspaper as saying that they had recovered a gun at the scene.
“We condemn the incident and we ask anyone with information that can help the police to bring the suspect to book to speak up,” he said.
He also urged fans to control their excitement.
Tensions and tragic violence arising from the outcome of football matches, especially between English clubs, are not uncommon in the country where the English Premier League is followed closely.
In October, an Arsenal fan stabbed a Manchester United fan after the two argued over the results over the results of a clash between Arsenal and Liverpool.
In January last year, a youth councillor died from stab wounds in Kampala after intervening in a fight after Arsenal lost to Manchester City.
Just a week before that, an Arsenal fan had been bludgeoned to death in Adjumani, in the West Nile district.