Soccer and Death

Couple of weeks ago, I sent two pics of soccer urns to the Queen of Soccer Madness. For more information on soccer urns, see this article (in German, sorry) by business daily Handelsblatt: Bestattung per Fußball

Today, MM hit back by pointing me to this story:

German football team plans cemetery for die-hard fans

By Michael Atkins

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German football club plans to open a cemetery next to its stadium so that die-hard fans can rest in peace alongside their favourite team.

Hamburg SV, a Bundesliga side from the northern port city, aims to open the graveyard some 15 metres (50 ft) from the stadium's main entrance (...)

With 42,000 registered supporters at the club and just 500 graves up for grabs, competition for places promises to be fierce. Officials have already begun taking reservations.

(...)

Fans get 25 years in the turf and can choose from a range of burials: ashes in an urn from 2,500 euros (1,708 pounds), a single grave at 8,000 euros and a two person plot at 12,500 euros.

Plans for the 70,000 euro graveyard, due to be completed in September, include a war memorial from the team's former stadium, as well as commemorative stones honouring former Hamburg players (...)

(Link added.)

At least, in Germany soccer isn't such a deadly matter as it is in China:

11 Chinese fans die from 'World Cup Syndrome'

By Wang Wei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-07-05 16:58

According to statistics from an overseas blog called "Worldcupdeathwatch", 50 soccer fans around the world have died as a result of the World Cup since it began on June 24. Eleven of those fans were from China, the most of any country.

(...)

(Link added.)

For the record: "Worldcupdeathwatch" is not a blog, but a blog category of a blog named "WFMU's BEWARE of the BLOG". Plus, the soccer world cup began on June 9, not June 24.