by Naim-Ul-Karim
DHAKA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- As always, fans across Bangladesh wave flags and cheer excitedly for their favorite teams during the World Cup football competition, and there's hardly a house that doesn't have a flag hoisted in support of their team.
The South Asian country is not in the FIFA World Cup 2018 competition, but the world's most-watched sports tournament attracts throngs of soccer supporters from the nation's 160 million people, particularly during the knockout stages of the tournament.
Cricket-mad Bangladesh goes crazy for soccer during World Cups and supporters of Argentina and Brazil even scuffle on the streets, with tensions rising as more and more teams get knocked out as the competition nears the quarter finals.
The two South American giants have fanatical levels of support in Bangladesh, where during the competition, Argentinian and Brazilian flags can be seen everywhere.
The 2018 competition in Russia is no different, with some fans' giddiness in Bangladesh leading to accidents and injuries.
A young fan of Argentina died after falling from a tree while hoisting the Argentinian flag in the country's northwestern Lalmonirhat district on June 26.
Another ardent Argentine football fan died of cardiac arrest while celebrating his team's victory over Nigeria in the western Rajshahi district.
Such tragic stories are being published almost every day in local dailies.
Another such tragedy published was that of a teenager who died from electrocution while setting up an Argentine flag on a rooftop. Two other people were also injured as they tried to save the boy.
Several more World Cup-related deaths due to electrocution have been reported.
On account over-zealous fans, there have also been isolated reports of the outbreak of fights and chases and some local fans have been detained in Bangladesh by the police since June 14.
Of one of the more horrific cases recently, an attempted murder charge was filed against eight Bangladeshi's supporting Brazil for a machete attack on a local who was supporting Argentina along with his spouse.
The incident took place in Khulna, located about 180 km southwest of the nation's capital city of Dhaka.
Kazi Mostak Ahmed, a senior police official, said machete-wielding fans supporting Argentina and Brazil clashed over Argentina's first match that ended in a draw.
He said those supporting Argentina ridiculed those supporting Brazil, as a day earlier Argentina ended up drawing their match. Other results at the World Cup have led to similar incidents, he said, adding that there had been clashes in other parts of the country since then.
In the capital Dhaka, football fever is also taking hold.
Students at Bangladesh's top Dhaka University are now apparently more busy focusing on World Cup affairs than they are on studying.
As with previous tournaments, Dhaka University halls are adorned with World Cup colors. Giant flags of teams participating in the World Cup and their iconic players' pictures are plastered around the university's campus.
Mohammad Shahbuddin, a Dhaka University student who supports Argentina, said the World Cup has whipped young fans here into a frenzy.
He said his favorite team is Argentina because they play artistic football and players behave quite well on the field.
"Now, the balance of Argentina's team is quite good. Argentina have qualified for the next round, it's a great feeling."
But another Dhaka University student Arafat has other ideas.
Arafat, who supports the Brazilian football team, said, "The Brazilian team has more creativity and flair going forward and play a better as a team."
