Kenya football fan kills self over Arsenal's Europe exit

A man ended his life in Nairobi after his favourite English Premiership team lost a season-defining match against their fiercest rivals on Tuesday.  

Mr Suleiman Alfonso Omondi, 29, who was known to his friends as a staunch supporter of the London-based Arsenal football club, was found dangling from a rope at his house in the city’s Pipeline estate on Wednesday morning.

Though thousands of miles away, English football teams have a fanatical, at times near religious following in Kenya.

It is the first time that Kenyans’ fanatical following of the English Premier League has ended in such tragedy.

Like many other Kenyans, Mr Omondi had watched on television as Arsenal lost 1-3 to Manchester United, in a semi-final clash in the European Champions League.

The two teams have a traditional rivalry, as do their respective managers Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, and their respective Kenya fans have a loathing for each other and usually engage in taunts whenever they face off.

The match was broadcast live at 9.45 pm (local time) by the subscription channel DSTV.

Mr Omondi had followed the match at a pub in his estate and had taken several drinks.

Patrons, who had sat with him at Bamba 70 bar, said he broke down in tears within the final minutes of the match.

At half time, the bar attendants had to intervene after Mr Omondi grabbed another patron by the neck after he taunted him that his team would not recover after the break.

“Tears flowed down his cheeks at half time but I patted him, telling him to remain strong because things could change before the final whistle,” said Mr Timothy Kukali, a fellow Arsenal fan who knew him well.

“But he got angry after a young man, who was seated at the next table started mocking him. He rose and grabbed him by the neck and we had to rescue him.”

During the match, even a stranger could easily tell which side Mr Omondi supported because he was clad in an Arsenal jersey.

When his body was found, it was still in the Red White T-shirt, similar to the ones worn by Arsenal’s footballers complete with the Fly Emirates logo.

He had arrived at the pub at around 7 pm, two and half hours earlier than kick-off time, the barman Dennis Kollikho told the Nation.

“Sule (Mr Omondi) was in a joyous mood. He sat through the entire game and I also served him some drinks,” he said.

“He cheered most of the time in the first half and was hopeful that Arsenal would score in the second half even after he had roughed up the other patron. His mood changed in the 75th minute when he fell silent.”

According to the barman, Mr Omondi was a regular patron who never missed any soccer game in which Arsenal played.

Embakasi police commander David Bunei said his officers are investigating “a suicide.”

“It’s still too early to make a conclusion but the information we have gathered is the deceased was an Arsenal fan. We can’t close the investigation at just that,” he added.

Mr Omondi is believed to have killed himself shortly after he left the pub but his body was not discovered until 7.30 am Wednesday by a caretaker of the house he lived in. 

The caretaker, Mr Juma Muchomba, said he saw the body as he cleaned the flat.

Police found a note believed to have been written by Mr Omondi shortly before he took away his life.

It read: “Simu hii ni ya Deno. Pigia Gody ampelekee. (This phone belongs to Denis. Call Gody so that he can give it to him). Thanks for everything.”

A friend who saw the note identified the handwriting as Mr Omondi’s.

The mobile phone was placed beside the note.  

Crime scene experts examined the house and took photographs before the body was taken away at around noon.

Police took away the note and the cell phone.